THERE ARE THREE KINDS OF PEOPLE IN THE WORLD
![Picture](/uploads/8/3/4/5/8345207/7598570.jpg?273)
The Three Kinds of People in the World
1Corinthians 2:14 – 3:7
I. Introduction – (1 Corinthians 2 and Ephesians 2)
A. We are all the time categorizing people. We label them according to economics, careers, gender, race, etc. The Bible is a book that also categorizes people. It groups everyone into three categories: Natural, Spiritual, and Carnal. Everyone in this building today falls into one of these three categories. Believe it or not - You are in one of the three, and no more.
B. But that only matters when we understand that God desires to reveal Himself to fallen men so that He might enter into a personal relationship with them. His desire is that people will come to know Him through His Son Jesus Christ, and that after they are born again, they will grow up in him into mature Christians.
C. Sadly, not everyone is saved, and not all saved people are mature and growing in Christ.
D. But the Bible offers a plan for growing into maturity. That’s what Christianity is all about – growing up and being like Jesus!
E. That’s what we have been looking at all this year – how to be more like Jesus
F. But you must know where you are before you can ever hope to grow.
G. My desire in this message is to help you see which of these 3 Biblical categories you fit into, and to help you go on from there.
II. Message
A. The Natural Man (2:14) - Lives Naturally
1. He Is Depraved – (Psa. 58:3; Isa 53:6; 64:6; Jn 8:44a; Eph. 2:3a) - Ruined
a. He is a sinner by nature
b. It means that what he does, no matter how God, can NEVER measure up to the perfection required by the God of heaven and earth!
c. We say it this way - A natural man is prone to sin. His nature is bent toward evil, and not toward God.
1) Water and electricity – They follow the course of least resistance!
2) There is just none good - Rom. 3:10-12; Mt 12:34
d. We are corrupt, wicked, evil, immoral, degenerate – depraved!
e. Not a nice category to be in!
2. He Is Dominated - Eph. 2:1-3
a. The natural man’s life is out of his hands.
b. He is under the control of Satan and like a mindless puppet, he carries out every whim of his flesh and of the devil! (John 8:44b)
c. Romans 6 says before the new birth we yielded over the running of our life to the power of Sin and Satan
d. And believe me – Sin will take you where you did not want to go!
3. He Is In Darkness - 2 Cor. 4:4
a. Nicodemus - A teacher among the Jews, but still in the depths of darkness. “How can these things be?”
b. The natural man does not see his problem, nor does he understand the things of God. (“Receiveth” = “to welcome” He may appreciate some things about the church and worship, but spiritual things will be pure foolishness to him; he just won’t accept them as true (1 Cor. 1:18)
c. The natural man doesn’t understand the people of God and he will criticize the things he doesn’t understand because they bother him and he won’t be able to tell you why!
d. It is like a deaf man criticizing music or a blind man ridiculing art!
e. The natural man is spiritually in the dark, but Jesus can change all that (John 9:25)!
4. He Is Dead - While he lives and breathes, the natural man is in a perpetual state of death.
a. What death is! Not really alive – at least not spiritually
b. See God’s warning to Adam (Gen 2:17) passed down to us (Ro 5:12)
c. We are like a car with a dead battery! Looks pretty and can roll as long as someone pushes or pulls it
d. We are dead like a dead radio – can’t receive anything from God - worthless
5. He Is Doomed (Eph 2:12) - Hell is his certain future! Heaven is made for people who want to be there!
a. He who is born once, dies twice. If born twice, dies only once!
b. No matter how hard you may try and fight God, and do your own thing religiously, and no matter how sincere you may be, there is no escaping the judgment of God (Heb 9:27)
6. But that does NOT have to be the end of it – his life can be re-written; he can be born all over again (Eph 2:13; John 3:1-3)
B. The Spiritual Man (v.15-16) - Lives Supernaturally – beyond the flesh
1. There is a vast difference between the natural man and the spiritual man.
a. The Natural man
1) Has only been born once
2) Is living the only way he knows how
3) And without intervention by God in his life, will end up in a devil’s hell for all eternity
b. The spiritual man
1) Has been born twice.
2) Lives differently than he used to – not perfectly, but definitely differently!
3) He is in a living, growing, vibrant, personal relationship with Jesus Christ – not a religious view-point, or philosophy. As a result, he has the God-given capacity to live differently now, from the inside-out.
2. He Lives By The Spirit - The spiritual man lives his life governed by the rule of the Holy Spirit in his heart. He gets into the Word and allows it to transform his life and he is different because of it – (Psa. 119:105). His very life is empowered by the infinite power and life of the Holy Spirit!
3. He is Led by the Spirit – directed and led each step of his life by the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit of God! One warning though: The Spirit will only lead if we will allow Him to (John 16:13; Gal. 5:16)
4. He Learns From The Spirit
a. The spiritual man is able to receive the truths of the Word of God. He is not numb to the words like he used to be when unsaved. He is able to grasp spiritual things, he can understand the Bible, he can enjoy the presence of the Lord.
b. God’s truths are not foolishness to him - they are his necessary food - Job 23:12
c. When the medicine cabinet of God’s Word is opened, he gathers all he can and then he applies it to the blemishes of his life and grows from it as he is healed!
5. He Is Liberated By The Spirit
a. The spiritual man is liberated from the bondage to the flesh, the world and the devil – I mean, the Christian has been made free from everything that used to dominate you – you have been really freed!
b. But instead of just “doing your own thing” now, you carefully watch where you step so that you don’t get snared again in sin
c. A Christian is able to discern dangers and even the will of God by “judging” or “examining” everything by the truth of the Word!
d. This doesn’t mean that people will be impressed though – we will always be misunderstood and thought to be crazy by the world!
6. The spiritual man is literally “filled” with the Spirit of God.
a. That’s what it means to be “filled with the Spirit”
b. It is where God controls your mind, your heart, your hands, your feet, your tongue, your flesh - everything in your life is yielded to the control of the Spirit of the Lord! Nothing is held back from the Lord!
c. Let’s compare it to:
1) Filled with joy
2) Filled with anger
3) Filled with wine and strong drink
4) Filled with bitterness
5) All of these take over our lives – some are good, some are awful
7. Because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the spiritual man is able to even comprehend the spiritual things of God and it shows in the way he lives now his life – (1 Cor 2:12-13)
8. Not many achieve this level of Christianity, but it should be the goal for every sincere Christian! Are you there yet?
a. It is not for only an elite group
b. It is intended to be for all believers
c. The Holy Spirit is given for that one, perfect goal
d. To make us spiritually minded and spiritually driven!
9. But there is a third P – a third person – a third category of people in this room
C. The Carnal Man (3:1) - Lives Unnaturally
1. This type person is saved, yet mostly unchanged. He has never grown in the Lord. He is always being defeated by the flesh, by the world and by the devil. Sadly, it is possible to be a Christian and be very carnal!
2. To be carnal means to be fleshly motivated instead of Spiritually motivated! So he becomes:
a. Dependent - 3:2 (Ill. Must always be spoon fed)
1) The carnal Christian is totally dependent on others for any spiritual nourishment he receives. He can’t teach, he must always be taught, (Ill. Heb. 5:12-14!) He cannot serve, but must be served. He cannot glean spiritual truth for himself, the pastor must spoon feed him when he shows up for church. He is helpless. Spiritually speaking, he is a baby! (Ill. The monstrosity of not growing!)
b. Divisive - 1 Cor. 3:3-7) (Ill. The troubles at Corinth!)
1) The carnal Christian is always looking for a fight. They are willing to tear the church to pieces over any silly, immature issue that comes to mind. They are easily offended and quick to defend rights that they have never earned for themselves.
2) This type of person is to be watched very, very closely!
3) Carnal Christians ruin churches, and entire nations I believe FASTER than the most sinful unsaved people – why?
a) Because Christians are what is holding back sin in the world
b) If Christians wimp-out and fade, and water-down their life, their effect on the world will be disastrous!
4) So beware of carnal Christians who think they are so spiritual and yet tear up churches over disagreements with interpretations and standards and godliness and emphasis on preaching
c. Defeated - There are three areas where his carnality continually shows up.
1) He Can’t Walk Spiritually - Constantly losing the battle to the flesh, the world and the devil.
2) He Can’t War Spiritually - He isn’t able to dress up in the “whole” armour of God - Eph. 6:10-17. Some of the pieces are missing and the ones he does have, he doesn’t know how to use! Because he is carnal, he can’t fight evil! So, he is always beaten!
3) He Can’t Work Spiritually - This type person is not much use to the Kingdom of God. The carnal Christian doesn’t win souls, support the church with his offerings or even his presence, he doesn’t teach, and never becomes actively involved! He is always riding around on the effort of others.
3. So sad isn’t it?
4. There are many, many carnal Christians in churches today.
a. If you are one, please let me remind you that Jesus did not save you to stagnate. He saved you to serve Him, to glorify Him, to please Him, to reflect Him in this dark world.
b. Today would be a very good time for you to throw off the works of the flesh, the old carnal attitudes, the laziness, or whatever it is that has caused you to become carnal and get right with the Lord.
5. If this category fits your life like it does mine sometimes, we need to take a serious step of faith in begging God for a revival in our hearts and a return to godliness and submission to the word of God! The more this Book has of you, the less the world will have of you!
III. Conclusion:
A. What type of person are you?
B. Do you know now what do you need to do?
1. If you are living naturally, you need to repent and be saved.
2. If you are living spiritually, you need to keep growing, and becoming more and more like your Lord.
3. If you are carnal, you need to some serious repenting, and allow the Holy Spirit of God change you for His glory.
1Corinthians 2:14 – 3:7
I. Introduction – (1 Corinthians 2 and Ephesians 2)
A. We are all the time categorizing people. We label them according to economics, careers, gender, race, etc. The Bible is a book that also categorizes people. It groups everyone into three categories: Natural, Spiritual, and Carnal. Everyone in this building today falls into one of these three categories. Believe it or not - You are in one of the three, and no more.
B. But that only matters when we understand that God desires to reveal Himself to fallen men so that He might enter into a personal relationship with them. His desire is that people will come to know Him through His Son Jesus Christ, and that after they are born again, they will grow up in him into mature Christians.
C. Sadly, not everyone is saved, and not all saved people are mature and growing in Christ.
D. But the Bible offers a plan for growing into maturity. That’s what Christianity is all about – growing up and being like Jesus!
E. That’s what we have been looking at all this year – how to be more like Jesus
F. But you must know where you are before you can ever hope to grow.
G. My desire in this message is to help you see which of these 3 Biblical categories you fit into, and to help you go on from there.
II. Message
A. The Natural Man (2:14) - Lives Naturally
1. He Is Depraved – (Psa. 58:3; Isa 53:6; 64:6; Jn 8:44a; Eph. 2:3a) - Ruined
a. He is a sinner by nature
b. It means that what he does, no matter how God, can NEVER measure up to the perfection required by the God of heaven and earth!
c. We say it this way - A natural man is prone to sin. His nature is bent toward evil, and not toward God.
1) Water and electricity – They follow the course of least resistance!
2) There is just none good - Rom. 3:10-12; Mt 12:34
d. We are corrupt, wicked, evil, immoral, degenerate – depraved!
e. Not a nice category to be in!
2. He Is Dominated - Eph. 2:1-3
a. The natural man’s life is out of his hands.
b. He is under the control of Satan and like a mindless puppet, he carries out every whim of his flesh and of the devil! (John 8:44b)
c. Romans 6 says before the new birth we yielded over the running of our life to the power of Sin and Satan
d. And believe me – Sin will take you where you did not want to go!
3. He Is In Darkness - 2 Cor. 4:4
a. Nicodemus - A teacher among the Jews, but still in the depths of darkness. “How can these things be?”
b. The natural man does not see his problem, nor does he understand the things of God. (“Receiveth” = “to welcome” He may appreciate some things about the church and worship, but spiritual things will be pure foolishness to him; he just won’t accept them as true (1 Cor. 1:18)
c. The natural man doesn’t understand the people of God and he will criticize the things he doesn’t understand because they bother him and he won’t be able to tell you why!
d. It is like a deaf man criticizing music or a blind man ridiculing art!
e. The natural man is spiritually in the dark, but Jesus can change all that (John 9:25)!
4. He Is Dead - While he lives and breathes, the natural man is in a perpetual state of death.
a. What death is! Not really alive – at least not spiritually
b. See God’s warning to Adam (Gen 2:17) passed down to us (Ro 5:12)
c. We are like a car with a dead battery! Looks pretty and can roll as long as someone pushes or pulls it
d. We are dead like a dead radio – can’t receive anything from God - worthless
5. He Is Doomed (Eph 2:12) - Hell is his certain future! Heaven is made for people who want to be there!
a. He who is born once, dies twice. If born twice, dies only once!
b. No matter how hard you may try and fight God, and do your own thing religiously, and no matter how sincere you may be, there is no escaping the judgment of God (Heb 9:27)
6. But that does NOT have to be the end of it – his life can be re-written; he can be born all over again (Eph 2:13; John 3:1-3)
B. The Spiritual Man (v.15-16) - Lives Supernaturally – beyond the flesh
1. There is a vast difference between the natural man and the spiritual man.
a. The Natural man
1) Has only been born once
2) Is living the only way he knows how
3) And without intervention by God in his life, will end up in a devil’s hell for all eternity
b. The spiritual man
1) Has been born twice.
2) Lives differently than he used to – not perfectly, but definitely differently!
3) He is in a living, growing, vibrant, personal relationship with Jesus Christ – not a religious view-point, or philosophy. As a result, he has the God-given capacity to live differently now, from the inside-out.
2. He Lives By The Spirit - The spiritual man lives his life governed by the rule of the Holy Spirit in his heart. He gets into the Word and allows it to transform his life and he is different because of it – (Psa. 119:105). His very life is empowered by the infinite power and life of the Holy Spirit!
3. He is Led by the Spirit – directed and led each step of his life by the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit of God! One warning though: The Spirit will only lead if we will allow Him to (John 16:13; Gal. 5:16)
4. He Learns From The Spirit
a. The spiritual man is able to receive the truths of the Word of God. He is not numb to the words like he used to be when unsaved. He is able to grasp spiritual things, he can understand the Bible, he can enjoy the presence of the Lord.
b. God’s truths are not foolishness to him - they are his necessary food - Job 23:12
c. When the medicine cabinet of God’s Word is opened, he gathers all he can and then he applies it to the blemishes of his life and grows from it as he is healed!
5. He Is Liberated By The Spirit
a. The spiritual man is liberated from the bondage to the flesh, the world and the devil – I mean, the Christian has been made free from everything that used to dominate you – you have been really freed!
b. But instead of just “doing your own thing” now, you carefully watch where you step so that you don’t get snared again in sin
c. A Christian is able to discern dangers and even the will of God by “judging” or “examining” everything by the truth of the Word!
d. This doesn’t mean that people will be impressed though – we will always be misunderstood and thought to be crazy by the world!
6. The spiritual man is literally “filled” with the Spirit of God.
a. That’s what it means to be “filled with the Spirit”
b. It is where God controls your mind, your heart, your hands, your feet, your tongue, your flesh - everything in your life is yielded to the control of the Spirit of the Lord! Nothing is held back from the Lord!
c. Let’s compare it to:
1) Filled with joy
2) Filled with anger
3) Filled with wine and strong drink
4) Filled with bitterness
5) All of these take over our lives – some are good, some are awful
7. Because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the spiritual man is able to even comprehend the spiritual things of God and it shows in the way he lives now his life – (1 Cor 2:12-13)
8. Not many achieve this level of Christianity, but it should be the goal for every sincere Christian! Are you there yet?
a. It is not for only an elite group
b. It is intended to be for all believers
c. The Holy Spirit is given for that one, perfect goal
d. To make us spiritually minded and spiritually driven!
9. But there is a third P – a third person – a third category of people in this room
C. The Carnal Man (3:1) - Lives Unnaturally
1. This type person is saved, yet mostly unchanged. He has never grown in the Lord. He is always being defeated by the flesh, by the world and by the devil. Sadly, it is possible to be a Christian and be very carnal!
2. To be carnal means to be fleshly motivated instead of Spiritually motivated! So he becomes:
a. Dependent - 3:2 (Ill. Must always be spoon fed)
1) The carnal Christian is totally dependent on others for any spiritual nourishment he receives. He can’t teach, he must always be taught, (Ill. Heb. 5:12-14!) He cannot serve, but must be served. He cannot glean spiritual truth for himself, the pastor must spoon feed him when he shows up for church. He is helpless. Spiritually speaking, he is a baby! (Ill. The monstrosity of not growing!)
b. Divisive - 1 Cor. 3:3-7) (Ill. The troubles at Corinth!)
1) The carnal Christian is always looking for a fight. They are willing to tear the church to pieces over any silly, immature issue that comes to mind. They are easily offended and quick to defend rights that they have never earned for themselves.
2) This type of person is to be watched very, very closely!
3) Carnal Christians ruin churches, and entire nations I believe FASTER than the most sinful unsaved people – why?
a) Because Christians are what is holding back sin in the world
b) If Christians wimp-out and fade, and water-down their life, their effect on the world will be disastrous!
4) So beware of carnal Christians who think they are so spiritual and yet tear up churches over disagreements with interpretations and standards and godliness and emphasis on preaching
c. Defeated - There are three areas where his carnality continually shows up.
1) He Can’t Walk Spiritually - Constantly losing the battle to the flesh, the world and the devil.
2) He Can’t War Spiritually - He isn’t able to dress up in the “whole” armour of God - Eph. 6:10-17. Some of the pieces are missing and the ones he does have, he doesn’t know how to use! Because he is carnal, he can’t fight evil! So, he is always beaten!
3) He Can’t Work Spiritually - This type person is not much use to the Kingdom of God. The carnal Christian doesn’t win souls, support the church with his offerings or even his presence, he doesn’t teach, and never becomes actively involved! He is always riding around on the effort of others.
3. So sad isn’t it?
4. There are many, many carnal Christians in churches today.
a. If you are one, please let me remind you that Jesus did not save you to stagnate. He saved you to serve Him, to glorify Him, to please Him, to reflect Him in this dark world.
b. Today would be a very good time for you to throw off the works of the flesh, the old carnal attitudes, the laziness, or whatever it is that has caused you to become carnal and get right with the Lord.
5. If this category fits your life like it does mine sometimes, we need to take a serious step of faith in begging God for a revival in our hearts and a return to godliness and submission to the word of God! The more this Book has of you, the less the world will have of you!
III. Conclusion:
A. What type of person are you?
B. Do you know now what do you need to do?
1. If you are living naturally, you need to repent and be saved.
2. If you are living spiritually, you need to keep growing, and becoming more and more like your Lord.
3. If you are carnal, you need to some serious repenting, and allow the Holy Spirit of God change you for His glory.
THEY ARE A PECULIAR PEOPLE
![Picture](/uploads/8/3/4/5/8345207/2654247.jpg?608)
"What does 1 Peter 2:9 mean when it refers to believers as peculiar people?"
Answer: The phrase “peculiar people” in 1 Peter 2:9 comes from the King James Versionand is not seen in the more modern English translations. This is because at the time the King James Version was translated, the word “peculiar” was often used to refer to something belonging to someone, as in someone’s property. If we look up the word “peculiar” in a dictionary today we would still see that is one of several meanings this word can have.
Probably the most common usage of the word “peculiar” today is referring to someone or something that is strange, odd or uncommon. Yet alternative meanings in the dictionary still tell us that this word can be used to describe something or someone that “belongs exclusively to some person, group or thing” or to refer to “a property or privilege belonging exclusively or characteristically to a person.” The original meaning of the Greek words translated “peculiar” in 1 Peter 2:9 is indeed what is meant in this passage.
In this verse, Peter is not saying that Christians are odd or unusual people, even though the world often looks at us that way. What this passage is communicating is that Christians or believers are people who belong to God, they are His own possession. Another way of saying it is that believers are “God’s own special people.”
As we compare the different English translations of this verse and consider the alternative meaning of the word “peculiar” it becomes clear that “peculiar” in this verse is referring to fact that believers are a “special people” because they were chosen from before the foundation of the earth to be “God’s own possession.” Those who are born again are different from the world around them because they are being transformed by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Also they are different because, having been born again by the Spirit of God and believing in Christ for salvation, they have received “the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). While it is true that believers are different, it is the believers’ standing as the adopted children of God, joint heirs with Christ Jesus and God’s own special people, that makes us “peculiar.”
For reference here the ways several modern English translations translate this passage:
1 Peter 2:9 (NASB)
But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV)
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:9 (HCSB)
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Answer: The phrase “peculiar people” in 1 Peter 2:9 comes from the King James Versionand is not seen in the more modern English translations. This is because at the time the King James Version was translated, the word “peculiar” was often used to refer to something belonging to someone, as in someone’s property. If we look up the word “peculiar” in a dictionary today we would still see that is one of several meanings this word can have.
Probably the most common usage of the word “peculiar” today is referring to someone or something that is strange, odd or uncommon. Yet alternative meanings in the dictionary still tell us that this word can be used to describe something or someone that “belongs exclusively to some person, group or thing” or to refer to “a property or privilege belonging exclusively or characteristically to a person.” The original meaning of the Greek words translated “peculiar” in 1 Peter 2:9 is indeed what is meant in this passage.
In this verse, Peter is not saying that Christians are odd or unusual people, even though the world often looks at us that way. What this passage is communicating is that Christians or believers are people who belong to God, they are His own possession. Another way of saying it is that believers are “God’s own special people.”
As we compare the different English translations of this verse and consider the alternative meaning of the word “peculiar” it becomes clear that “peculiar” in this verse is referring to fact that believers are a “special people” because they were chosen from before the foundation of the earth to be “God’s own possession.” Those who are born again are different from the world around them because they are being transformed by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Also they are different because, having been born again by the Spirit of God and believing in Christ for salvation, they have received “the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). While it is true that believers are different, it is the believers’ standing as the adopted children of God, joint heirs with Christ Jesus and God’s own special people, that makes us “peculiar.”
For reference here the ways several modern English translations translate this passage:
1 Peter 2:9 (NASB)
But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV)
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:9 (HCSB)
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
THE THREE KINDS OF PEOPLE IN THE BIBLE
![Picture](/uploads/8/3/4/5/8345207/2698664.jpeg?0)
The Three Kinds of People in the World1Corinthians 2:14 – 3:7
DATE: 16 Oct, 2005 AM
PLACE: BBC Ballincollig
I. Introduction – (1 Corinthians 2 and Ephesians 2)
A. We are all the time categorizing people. We label them according to economics, careers, gender, race, etc. The Bible is a book that also categorizes people. It groups everyone into three categories: Natural, Spiritual, and Carnal. Everyone in this building today falls into one of these three categories. Believe it or not - You are in one of the three, and no more.
B. But that only matters when we understand that God desires to reveal Himself to fallen men so that He might enter into a personal relationship with them. His desire is that people will come to know Him through His Son Jesus Christ, and that after they are born again, they will grow up in him into mature Christians.
C. Sadly, not everyone is saved, and not all saved people are mature and growing in Christ.
D. But the Bible offers a plan for growing into maturity. That’s what Christianity is all about – growing up and being like Jesus!
E. That’s what we have been looking at all this year – how to be more like Jesus
F. But you must know where you are before you can ever hope to grow.
G. My desire in this message is to help you see which of these 3 Biblical categories you fit into, and to help you go on from there.
II. Message
A. The Natural Man (2:14) - Lives Naturally
1. He Is Depraved – (Psa. 58:3; Isa 53:6; 64:6; Jn 8:44a; Eph. 2:3a) - Ruined
a. He is a sinner by nature
b. It means that what he does, no matter how God, can NEVER measure up to the perfection required by the God of heaven and earth!
c. We say it this way - A natural man is prone to sin. His nature is bent toward evil, and not toward God.
1) Water and electricity – They follow the course of least resistance!
2) There is just none good - Rom. 3:10-12; Mt 12:34
d. We are corrupt, wicked, evil, immoral, degenerate – depraved!
e. Not a nice category to be in!
2. He Is Dominated - Eph. 2:1-3
a. The natural man’s life is out of his hands.
b. He is under the control of Satan and like a mindless puppet, he carries out every whim of his flesh and of the devil! (John 8:44b)
c. Romans 6 says before the new birth we yielded over the running of our life to the power of Sin and Satan
d. And believe me – Sin will take you where you did not want to go!
3. He Is In Darkness - 2 Cor. 4:4
a. Nicodemus - A teacher among the Jews, but still in the depths of darkness. “How can these things be?”
b. The natural man does not see his problem, nor does he understand the things of God. (“Receiveth” = “to welcome” He may appreciate some things about the church and worship, but spiritual things will be pure foolishness to him; he just won’t accept them as true (1 Cor. 1:18)
c. The natural man doesn’t understand the people of God and he will criticize the things he doesn’t understand because they bother him and he won’t be able to tell you why!
d. It is like a deaf man criticizing music or a blind man ridiculing art!
e. The natural man is spiritually in the dark, but Jesus can change all that (John 9:25)!
4. He Is Dead - While he lives and breathes, the natural man is in a perpetual state of death.
a. What death is! Not really alive – at least not spiritually
b. See God’s warning to Adam (Gen 2:17) passed down to us (Ro 5:12)
c. We are like a car with a dead battery! Looks pretty and can roll as long as someone pushes or pulls it
d. We are dead like a dead radio – can’t receive anything from God - worthless
5. He Is Doomed (Eph 2:12) - Hell is his certain future! Heaven is made for people who want to be there!
a. He who is born once, dies twice. If born twice, dies only once!
b. No matter how hard you may try and fight God, and do your own thing religiously, and no matter how sincere you may be, there is no escaping the judgment of God (Heb 9:27)
6. But that does NOT have to be the end of it – his life can be re-written; he can be born all over again (Eph 2:13; John 3:1-3)
B. The Spiritual Man (v.15-16) - Lives Supernaturally – beyond the flesh
1. There is a vast difference between the natural man and the spiritual man.
a. The Natural man
1) Has only been born once
2) Is living the only way he knows how
3) And without intervention by God in his life, will end up in a devil’s hell for all eternity
b. The spiritual man
1) Has been born twice.
2) Lives differently than he used to – not perfectly, but definitely differently!
3) He is in a living, growing, vibrant, personal relationship with Jesus Christ – not a religious view-point, or philosophy. As a result, he has the God-given capacity to live differently now, from the inside-out.
2. He Lives By The Spirit - The spiritual man lives his life governed by the rule of the Holy Spirit in his heart. He gets into the Word and allows it to transform his life and he is different because of it – (Psa. 119:105). His very life is empowered by the infinite power and life of the Holy Spirit!
3. He is Led by the Spirit – directed and led each step of his life by the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit of God! One warning though: The Spirit will only lead if we will allow Him to (John 16:13; Gal. 5:16)
4. He Learns From The Spirit
a. The spiritual man is able to receive the truths of the Word of God. He is not numb to the words like he used to be when unsaved. He is able to grasp spiritual things, he can understand the Bible, he can enjoy the presence of the Lord.
b. God’s truths are not foolishness to him - they are his necessary food - Job 23:12
c. When the medicine cabinet of God’s Word is opened, he gathers all he can and then he applies it to the blemishes of his life and grows from it as he is healed!
5. He Is Liberated By The Spirit
a. The spiritual man is liberated from the bondage to the flesh, the world and the devil – I mean, the Christian has been made free from everything that used to dominate you – you have been really freed!
b. But instead of just “doing your own thing” now, you carefully watch where you step so that you don’t get snared again in sin
c. A Christian is able to discern dangers and even the will of God by “judging” or “examining” everything by the truth of the Word!
d. This doesn’t mean that people will be impressed though – we will always be misunderstood and thought to be crazy by the world!
6. The spiritual man is literally “filled” with the Spirit of God.
a. That’s what it means to be “filled with the Spirit”
b. It is where God controls your mind, your heart, your hands, your feet, your tongue, your flesh - everything in your life is yielded to the control of the Spirit of the Lord! Nothing is held back from the Lord!
c. Let’s compare it to:
1) Filled with joy
2) Filled with anger
3) Filled with wine and strong drink
4) Filled with bitterness
5) All of these take over our lives – some are good, some are awful
7. Because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the spiritual man is able to even comprehend the spiritual things of God and it shows in the way he lives now his life – (1 Cor 2:12-13)
8. Not many achieve this level of Christianity, but it should be the goal for every sincere Christian! Are you there yet?
a. It is not for only an elite group
b. It is intended to be for all believers
c. The Holy Spirit is given for that one, perfect goal
d. To make us spiritually minded and spiritually driven!
9. But there is a third P – a third person – a third category of people in this room
C. The Carnal Man (3:1) - Lives Unnaturally
1. This type person is saved, yet mostly unchanged. He has never grown in the Lord. He is always being defeated by the flesh, by the world and by the devil. Sadly, it is possible to be a Christian and be very carnal!
2. To be carnal means to be fleshly motivated instead of Spiritually motivated! So he becomes:
a. Dependent - 3:2 (Ill. Must always be spoon fed)
1) The carnal Christian is totally dependent on others for any spiritual nourishment he receives. He can’t teach, he must always be taught, (Ill. Heb. 5:12-14!) He cannot serve, but must be served. He cannot glean spiritual truth for himself, the pastor must spoon feed him when he shows up for church. He is helpless. Spiritually speaking, he is a baby! (Ill. The monstrosity of not growing!)
b. Divisive - 1 Cor. 3:3-7) (Ill. The troubles at Corinth!)
1) The carnal Christian is always looking for a fight. They are willing to tear the church to pieces over any silly, immature issue that comes to mind. They are easily offended and quick to defend rights that they have never earned for themselves.
2) This type of person is to be watched very, very closely!
3) Carnal Christians ruin churches, and entire nations I believe FASTER than the most sinful unsaved people – why?
a) Because Christians are what is holding back sin in the world
b) If Christians wimp-out and fade, and water-down their life, their effect on the world will be disastrous!
4) So beware of carnal Christians who think they are so spiritual and yet tear up churches over disagreements with interpretations and standards and godliness and emphasis on preaching
c. Defeated - There are three areas where his carnality continually shows up.
1) He Can’t Walk Spiritually - Constantly losing the battle to the flesh, the world and the devil.
2) He Can’t War Spiritually - He isn’t able to dress up in the “whole” armour of God - Eph. 6:10-17. Some of the pieces are missing and the ones he does have, he doesn’t know how to use! Because he is carnal, he can’t fight evil! So, he is always beaten!
3) He Can’t Work Spiritually - This type person is not much use to the Kingdom of God. The carnal Christian doesn’t win souls, support the church with his offerings or even his presence, he doesn’t teach, and never becomes actively involved! He is always riding around on the effort of others.
3. So sad isn’t it?
4. There are many, many carnal Christians in churches today.
a. If you are one, please let me remind you that Jesus did not save you to stagnate. He saved you to serve Him, to glorify Him, to please Him, to reflect Him in this dark world.
b. Today would be a very good time for you to throw off the works of the flesh, the old carnal attitudes, the laziness, or whatever it is that has caused you to become carnal and get right with the Lord.
5. If this category fits your life like it does mine sometimes, we need to take a serious step of faith in begging God for a revival in our hearts and a return to godliness and submission to the word of God! The more this Book has of you, the less the world will have of you!
III. Conclusion:
A. What type of person are you?
B. Do you know now what do you need to do?
1. If you are living naturally, you need to repent and be saved.
2. If you are living spiritually, you need to keep growing, and becoming more and more like your Lord.
3. If you are carnal, you need to some serious repenting, and allow the Holy Spirit of God change you for His glory.
DATE: 16 Oct, 2005 AM
PLACE: BBC Ballincollig
I. Introduction – (1 Corinthians 2 and Ephesians 2)
A. We are all the time categorizing people. We label them according to economics, careers, gender, race, etc. The Bible is a book that also categorizes people. It groups everyone into three categories: Natural, Spiritual, and Carnal. Everyone in this building today falls into one of these three categories. Believe it or not - You are in one of the three, and no more.
B. But that only matters when we understand that God desires to reveal Himself to fallen men so that He might enter into a personal relationship with them. His desire is that people will come to know Him through His Son Jesus Christ, and that after they are born again, they will grow up in him into mature Christians.
C. Sadly, not everyone is saved, and not all saved people are mature and growing in Christ.
D. But the Bible offers a plan for growing into maturity. That’s what Christianity is all about – growing up and being like Jesus!
E. That’s what we have been looking at all this year – how to be more like Jesus
F. But you must know where you are before you can ever hope to grow.
G. My desire in this message is to help you see which of these 3 Biblical categories you fit into, and to help you go on from there.
II. Message
A. The Natural Man (2:14) - Lives Naturally
1. He Is Depraved – (Psa. 58:3; Isa 53:6; 64:6; Jn 8:44a; Eph. 2:3a) - Ruined
a. He is a sinner by nature
b. It means that what he does, no matter how God, can NEVER measure up to the perfection required by the God of heaven and earth!
c. We say it this way - A natural man is prone to sin. His nature is bent toward evil, and not toward God.
1) Water and electricity – They follow the course of least resistance!
2) There is just none good - Rom. 3:10-12; Mt 12:34
d. We are corrupt, wicked, evil, immoral, degenerate – depraved!
e. Not a nice category to be in!
2. He Is Dominated - Eph. 2:1-3
a. The natural man’s life is out of his hands.
b. He is under the control of Satan and like a mindless puppet, he carries out every whim of his flesh and of the devil! (John 8:44b)
c. Romans 6 says before the new birth we yielded over the running of our life to the power of Sin and Satan
d. And believe me – Sin will take you where you did not want to go!
3. He Is In Darkness - 2 Cor. 4:4
a. Nicodemus - A teacher among the Jews, but still in the depths of darkness. “How can these things be?”
b. The natural man does not see his problem, nor does he understand the things of God. (“Receiveth” = “to welcome” He may appreciate some things about the church and worship, but spiritual things will be pure foolishness to him; he just won’t accept them as true (1 Cor. 1:18)
c. The natural man doesn’t understand the people of God and he will criticize the things he doesn’t understand because they bother him and he won’t be able to tell you why!
d. It is like a deaf man criticizing music or a blind man ridiculing art!
e. The natural man is spiritually in the dark, but Jesus can change all that (John 9:25)!
4. He Is Dead - While he lives and breathes, the natural man is in a perpetual state of death.
a. What death is! Not really alive – at least not spiritually
b. See God’s warning to Adam (Gen 2:17) passed down to us (Ro 5:12)
c. We are like a car with a dead battery! Looks pretty and can roll as long as someone pushes or pulls it
d. We are dead like a dead radio – can’t receive anything from God - worthless
5. He Is Doomed (Eph 2:12) - Hell is his certain future! Heaven is made for people who want to be there!
a. He who is born once, dies twice. If born twice, dies only once!
b. No matter how hard you may try and fight God, and do your own thing religiously, and no matter how sincere you may be, there is no escaping the judgment of God (Heb 9:27)
6. But that does NOT have to be the end of it – his life can be re-written; he can be born all over again (Eph 2:13; John 3:1-3)
B. The Spiritual Man (v.15-16) - Lives Supernaturally – beyond the flesh
1. There is a vast difference between the natural man and the spiritual man.
a. The Natural man
1) Has only been born once
2) Is living the only way he knows how
3) And without intervention by God in his life, will end up in a devil’s hell for all eternity
b. The spiritual man
1) Has been born twice.
2) Lives differently than he used to – not perfectly, but definitely differently!
3) He is in a living, growing, vibrant, personal relationship with Jesus Christ – not a religious view-point, or philosophy. As a result, he has the God-given capacity to live differently now, from the inside-out.
2. He Lives By The Spirit - The spiritual man lives his life governed by the rule of the Holy Spirit in his heart. He gets into the Word and allows it to transform his life and he is different because of it – (Psa. 119:105). His very life is empowered by the infinite power and life of the Holy Spirit!
3. He is Led by the Spirit – directed and led each step of his life by the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit of God! One warning though: The Spirit will only lead if we will allow Him to (John 16:13; Gal. 5:16)
4. He Learns From The Spirit
a. The spiritual man is able to receive the truths of the Word of God. He is not numb to the words like he used to be when unsaved. He is able to grasp spiritual things, he can understand the Bible, he can enjoy the presence of the Lord.
b. God’s truths are not foolishness to him - they are his necessary food - Job 23:12
c. When the medicine cabinet of God’s Word is opened, he gathers all he can and then he applies it to the blemishes of his life and grows from it as he is healed!
5. He Is Liberated By The Spirit
a. The spiritual man is liberated from the bondage to the flesh, the world and the devil – I mean, the Christian has been made free from everything that used to dominate you – you have been really freed!
b. But instead of just “doing your own thing” now, you carefully watch where you step so that you don’t get snared again in sin
c. A Christian is able to discern dangers and even the will of God by “judging” or “examining” everything by the truth of the Word!
d. This doesn’t mean that people will be impressed though – we will always be misunderstood and thought to be crazy by the world!
6. The spiritual man is literally “filled” with the Spirit of God.
a. That’s what it means to be “filled with the Spirit”
b. It is where God controls your mind, your heart, your hands, your feet, your tongue, your flesh - everything in your life is yielded to the control of the Spirit of the Lord! Nothing is held back from the Lord!
c. Let’s compare it to:
1) Filled with joy
2) Filled with anger
3) Filled with wine and strong drink
4) Filled with bitterness
5) All of these take over our lives – some are good, some are awful
7. Because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the spiritual man is able to even comprehend the spiritual things of God and it shows in the way he lives now his life – (1 Cor 2:12-13)
8. Not many achieve this level of Christianity, but it should be the goal for every sincere Christian! Are you there yet?
a. It is not for only an elite group
b. It is intended to be for all believers
c. The Holy Spirit is given for that one, perfect goal
d. To make us spiritually minded and spiritually driven!
9. But there is a third P – a third person – a third category of people in this room
C. The Carnal Man (3:1) - Lives Unnaturally
1. This type person is saved, yet mostly unchanged. He has never grown in the Lord. He is always being defeated by the flesh, by the world and by the devil. Sadly, it is possible to be a Christian and be very carnal!
2. To be carnal means to be fleshly motivated instead of Spiritually motivated! So he becomes:
a. Dependent - 3:2 (Ill. Must always be spoon fed)
1) The carnal Christian is totally dependent on others for any spiritual nourishment he receives. He can’t teach, he must always be taught, (Ill. Heb. 5:12-14!) He cannot serve, but must be served. He cannot glean spiritual truth for himself, the pastor must spoon feed him when he shows up for church. He is helpless. Spiritually speaking, he is a baby! (Ill. The monstrosity of not growing!)
b. Divisive - 1 Cor. 3:3-7) (Ill. The troubles at Corinth!)
1) The carnal Christian is always looking for a fight. They are willing to tear the church to pieces over any silly, immature issue that comes to mind. They are easily offended and quick to defend rights that they have never earned for themselves.
2) This type of person is to be watched very, very closely!
3) Carnal Christians ruin churches, and entire nations I believe FASTER than the most sinful unsaved people – why?
a) Because Christians are what is holding back sin in the world
b) If Christians wimp-out and fade, and water-down their life, their effect on the world will be disastrous!
4) So beware of carnal Christians who think they are so spiritual and yet tear up churches over disagreements with interpretations and standards and godliness and emphasis on preaching
c. Defeated - There are three areas where his carnality continually shows up.
1) He Can’t Walk Spiritually - Constantly losing the battle to the flesh, the world and the devil.
2) He Can’t War Spiritually - He isn’t able to dress up in the “whole” armour of God - Eph. 6:10-17. Some of the pieces are missing and the ones he does have, he doesn’t know how to use! Because he is carnal, he can’t fight evil! So, he is always beaten!
3) He Can’t Work Spiritually - This type person is not much use to the Kingdom of God. The carnal Christian doesn’t win souls, support the church with his offerings or even his presence, he doesn’t teach, and never becomes actively involved! He is always riding around on the effort of others.
3. So sad isn’t it?
4. There are many, many carnal Christians in churches today.
a. If you are one, please let me remind you that Jesus did not save you to stagnate. He saved you to serve Him, to glorify Him, to please Him, to reflect Him in this dark world.
b. Today would be a very good time for you to throw off the works of the flesh, the old carnal attitudes, the laziness, or whatever it is that has caused you to become carnal and get right with the Lord.
5. If this category fits your life like it does mine sometimes, we need to take a serious step of faith in begging God for a revival in our hearts and a return to godliness and submission to the word of God! The more this Book has of you, the less the world will have of you!
III. Conclusion:
A. What type of person are you?
B. Do you know now what do you need to do?
1. If you are living naturally, you need to repent and be saved.
2. If you are living spiritually, you need to keep growing, and becoming more and more like your Lord.
3. If you are carnal, you need to some serious repenting, and allow the Holy Spirit of God change you for His glory.
THREE KINDS OF PEOPLE-WHICH ARE YOU?
![Picture](/uploads/8/3/4/5/8345207/8410337.jpeg?0)
The book of Romans is laid out perfectly, which is not surprising considering The Author, who always
does everything just right ( Mk. 7:37 ).
Romans 1 deals with the perversity of sin. Romans 23:18 deals with the pervasiveness of sin. Romans 3:185:21 deals with the penalty of sin. Romans 6 deals a deathblow to the power of sin and now we see in Romans 7 Paul deals with the questions of preoccupations with sin.
Romans 7:1 The brothers Paul is referring to are his Jewish brothers, the people of Israel.
Romans 7:12 According to the Law, a husband could divorce his wife, but a wife could never divorce her husband, Paul uses the analogy to say, ‘You were married to the Law and there’s no way you could get away from it.’
Romans 7:23 If only the Law would die, we would be free from its hold on us. But the Law is in excellent health (see Matt. 5:18) This husband is not about to die.
Romans 7:34 This is so wonderful! You have become dead to the Law. That’s the key. You’ll never see a dead body in a courtroom trial because when a person is dead, he’s no longer under the authority of the Law. So too, because you died in Christ (Gal. 2:20) you are free from legalism. Thus, there is no reason to be preoccupied with your failing, your lack of prayer, your lack of love, your lack of anything. There is no reason to try to live up to the rules, regulations and expectations you’ve put upon yourself. When you realize that you died with Christ positionally on Calvary, you’re free from the demands of the Law and free instead to just love the Lord.
Romans 7:4 Churches grow whenever believers become excited about their relationship with Jesus because the Christian who finally throws off the yoke of legalism inevitably become fruitful.
Romans 7:56 ‘Newness of spirit’ speaks of the New Covenant, of an entirely new way of living (Jeremiah 31, Ex. 36) ‘No longer will I give you tablet of stone,’ the Lord declares in the New Covenant, ‘but I will write My will upon the tablet of your heart. Every day will be an adventure. Some days I might awaken you at 4:30 to seek My face and to pray, while other times, I might tell you to sleep in.’
That’s the way Christianity was meant to be. But what have we done? We have constructed legalistic systems and expectations both personally and corporately. Folks, we were meant to live in a newness of the Spirit, moment by moment obeying and yielding and wondering, ‘Lord, what next?’ Throw off the yoke of legalism. Walk in the Spirit. Respond to His directionand I guarantee you will find yourselves on the adventure of a lifetime.
Romans 7:7 What was Paul lusting after? I suggest the object of Paul’s desire was not the sensual type of sin we usually associate with lust. No I believe Paul was lusting after prestige. He wanted to excel as a scholar which seems a noble goal. Yet as he studied the Law, he saw that the underlying reason for this pursuit was a hunger for prominence. He wanted people to know how brilliant he was, how holy, how spiritual.
Romans 7:810 The more Paul studied the Law, the more he realized how far he was from the Law. Paul thought all he had to do was study the Law, but the more he did, the more he realized how far he was from true spirituality.
Romans 7:1113 Whenever I see a Pharisaical tendency either in myself or another, I know it is indicative of one who has not been immersing himself in the Word. You see, if we’re truly spending time in the presence of the Lord, we’ll find ourselves saying just what Isaiah said. After spending the first five
chapter of his book pronouncing woe on peoples and nations, in Chapter 6, he saw the Lord and said, ‘Woe is me’, for in the presence of the Lord he realized he was no better than those he was indicting.
A life lived in God’s presence excludes judgment of others. ‘I’m lusting; I’m coveting,’ said Paul. But he didn’t realize it until he spent time in the Scriptures and saw that he was a sinner. Now this was all pre conversion, folks. As evidenced by the use of the past tense. Paul was looking back. But as Chapter 7 unfolds, we see that even after he was saved, he still struggled.
Romans 7:14 As outlined in 1 Cor. 23 there are basically 3 types of people: the “natural man”, who is unconverted; the “spiritual man”, who walks in the Spirit; and the “carnal man”, who is born again, but lives in the energy of his flesh. We tend to think the carnal man is living for his flesh – doing worldly things. But it’s much more than that. The carnal man not only lives for his flesh, but in the power of his flesh. Thus, although he can appear to be saintly and righteous, the carnal man is miserable internally because he knows he can’t live up to the rules, regulations, and expectations he has placed upon himself. That’s where Paul was. Yes, he was converted, but he was miserable in his carnality.
Romans 7:15 ‘I want to do what’s right,’ said Paul, ‘but I end up doing the things I hate.’ Ever feel that way, dieters as well as those with other struggles? ‘Oh, I really want victory, I’m determined. But what I want to do, I don’t do. And what I hate, I end up doing.’
Romans 7:1617 ‘The problem isn’t with the Law,’ said Paul. ‘The problem is with the sin in me.’
Romans 7:18 Whenever I’m disappointed in myself, it’s because I’m denying what God said when He said to us, “In you dwells no good thing.’ We all still battle with this. We may understand the concept theologically and maybe we can quote the verse from memory, but sometimes don’t we think, “Hey, there’s some good in me – isn’t there? Am I really this bad, Lord Jesus?
Every time I get down on myself, I hear His voice again say to me, ‘Didn’t I tell you straight out, didn’t I record it in black and white that in your flesh, in your personality dwells no good thing? Why, then, are you disappointed in yourself?’ I came across this interesting statistic; 75% of all people who attempt suicide describe themselves as perfectionists. This means that those who have a tendency to despair of life do so because they think there’s something good in them that they’re failing to utilize. They’re not living up to their selfimage. We teach our kids selfesteem, yet the Scriptures say, ‘Sorry. In you dwells no good thing.’ Far from depressing me, I am incredibly free when I finally understand this.
Romans 7:1819 ‘No matter which way I turn I can’t make myself do right, my performance does not measure up’, ever feel that way? Can you relate to Paul in his carnal state? I can!
Romans 7:20 Here’s how to differentiate between a “pig” and a “prodigal”, between an “unbeliever” and a “carnal Christian”; Take the pig out of the pigpen, wash him in bubble bath, spray him with cologne, put a ribbon in his hair, and a bow on his tail, and watch what happens the first time he sees some mud. The pig will wallow in it with joy. The prodigal, on the other hand – although he might foolishly find himself in the mud from time to time will not be comfortable there. Eventually, he’ll come to his senses and say, ‘Get me out of her. I hate this stuff.’ – which is exactly what Paul was saying.
Romans 7:2123 In my mind I want to follow the Law of God. I want to walk in His ways and keep His commandments. That’s truly my determination, my mindset. But my body rebels. My eyes are prone towards lusting. My ears strain to hear something juicy. My tongue wags oh, so readily to gossip. There’s a war going on. How can I get victory?
Romans 7:2324 When Paul was a natural man, the Law slew him. When he became a believer, he found himself once again under legalism, with a war going on inside of him. The original Translation of the last phrase of this verse sums up Paul’s state powerfully: ‘O wretched man that I am’ or ‘O what a miserable person that am’...that’s how we feel.
Romans 7:24 In Paul’s day, the man convicted of firstdegree murder was sentenced to be tied to the body of his victim. Often, the stench alone would kill the murderer. It is probably this Roman practice to which Paul is referring when he cries, ‘Who will free me from the failures, shortcomings, and sinful tendencies I’m forced to drag behind me wherever I go?”
Paul is now ready to lead us into an explosively liberating truth. In verse 18, he said, ‘How can I get victory?’ After struggling a little longer, he realizes it’s not ‘how’. It’s ‘who’. And he’s only a verse or two away from the most exciting part of Romans because he’s no longer looking for how. He realizes it’s “HE” (The Lord Jesus Christ!)
Many Christians are concerned with ‘how’. ‘Please give us procedures, plans, and programs,’ they say, not realizing those things only produce perpetual struggle. The flesh always cries ‘How, how how ‘ The Bible always answers, ‘HE.’
Romans 7:25 While we may readily agree with Paul that the answer lies not in a program or a procedure – it is harder for us to understand that neither is the answer found in a principle. What do I mean?
At this point in our study of Romans, we can say, ‘Wow! I get it. The penalty for my sin was paid on the Cross. The power of my sin was broken by the Cross. Preoccupation with my sin is eliminated because of the Cross. I’m free! It’s a principle I’m going to jot down in my journal and rejoice in.’
But wait. Even as I myself have immersed myself in the Book of Romans, in the past few days I’ve been on edge; my temper has flared; and I was taken aback by the ugliness of my own flesh until the Lord dealt with my heart again, saying, ‘You are free. But you are missing out on what only I can produce as you spend quality time with ME. (Spend the kind of quality time with Me that you would like someone to spend with you! There’s your example: Treat Me like you would like to be treated. Not a business relationship but a love relationship! J) Even if you have the principles down and the theology right, without spending time with Me, there will be no selfcontrol and peace, love and joy, gentleness and goodness, faith and meekness. Those only come from spending time with Me.’ Even Jesus Christ ministered out of the abundance of His relationship with the Father!J
Thus, I have found myself in the past few days more eager than ever to be in the presence of the Lord – for, while I have always been wary of programs, I have been prone to intrigue with positional truth. In recent days, however, the Lord has been reminding me once again, ‘The answer lies in spending time with Me – not legalistically, but just because without Me you can do nothing.’ (“I am the Vine you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in them bear much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” John 15:5)
® This afternoon, I was kneeling beside my bed, enjoying the Lord. As I got up to let in some air, my
finger got caught between the two windows. Now, although this was just the kind of irritation that had been getting to me in the past few day, this time I didn’t get upset at all. Why? It wasn’t because I was reading a book on how not to get mad when your finger gets stuck in the window. No, it’s because I was simply enjoying the Lord’s presence.
Who shall deliver me? Not ‘how practically’ or ‘what positional truth theologically’ – but Who shall deliver me? Like Paul, I declare to you emphatically that Jesus Christ is the key!
does everything just right ( Mk. 7:37 ).
Romans 1 deals with the perversity of sin. Romans 23:18 deals with the pervasiveness of sin. Romans 3:185:21 deals with the penalty of sin. Romans 6 deals a deathblow to the power of sin and now we see in Romans 7 Paul deals with the questions of preoccupations with sin.
Romans 7:1 The brothers Paul is referring to are his Jewish brothers, the people of Israel.
Romans 7:12 According to the Law, a husband could divorce his wife, but a wife could never divorce her husband, Paul uses the analogy to say, ‘You were married to the Law and there’s no way you could get away from it.’
Romans 7:23 If only the Law would die, we would be free from its hold on us. But the Law is in excellent health (see Matt. 5:18) This husband is not about to die.
Romans 7:34 This is so wonderful! You have become dead to the Law. That’s the key. You’ll never see a dead body in a courtroom trial because when a person is dead, he’s no longer under the authority of the Law. So too, because you died in Christ (Gal. 2:20) you are free from legalism. Thus, there is no reason to be preoccupied with your failing, your lack of prayer, your lack of love, your lack of anything. There is no reason to try to live up to the rules, regulations and expectations you’ve put upon yourself. When you realize that you died with Christ positionally on Calvary, you’re free from the demands of the Law and free instead to just love the Lord.
Romans 7:4 Churches grow whenever believers become excited about their relationship with Jesus because the Christian who finally throws off the yoke of legalism inevitably become fruitful.
Romans 7:56 ‘Newness of spirit’ speaks of the New Covenant, of an entirely new way of living (Jeremiah 31, Ex. 36) ‘No longer will I give you tablet of stone,’ the Lord declares in the New Covenant, ‘but I will write My will upon the tablet of your heart. Every day will be an adventure. Some days I might awaken you at 4:30 to seek My face and to pray, while other times, I might tell you to sleep in.’
That’s the way Christianity was meant to be. But what have we done? We have constructed legalistic systems and expectations both personally and corporately. Folks, we were meant to live in a newness of the Spirit, moment by moment obeying and yielding and wondering, ‘Lord, what next?’ Throw off the yoke of legalism. Walk in the Spirit. Respond to His directionand I guarantee you will find yourselves on the adventure of a lifetime.
Romans 7:7 What was Paul lusting after? I suggest the object of Paul’s desire was not the sensual type of sin we usually associate with lust. No I believe Paul was lusting after prestige. He wanted to excel as a scholar which seems a noble goal. Yet as he studied the Law, he saw that the underlying reason for this pursuit was a hunger for prominence. He wanted people to know how brilliant he was, how holy, how spiritual.
Romans 7:810 The more Paul studied the Law, the more he realized how far he was from the Law. Paul thought all he had to do was study the Law, but the more he did, the more he realized how far he was from true spirituality.
Romans 7:1113 Whenever I see a Pharisaical tendency either in myself or another, I know it is indicative of one who has not been immersing himself in the Word. You see, if we’re truly spending time in the presence of the Lord, we’ll find ourselves saying just what Isaiah said. After spending the first five
chapter of his book pronouncing woe on peoples and nations, in Chapter 6, he saw the Lord and said, ‘Woe is me’, for in the presence of the Lord he realized he was no better than those he was indicting.
A life lived in God’s presence excludes judgment of others. ‘I’m lusting; I’m coveting,’ said Paul. But he didn’t realize it until he spent time in the Scriptures and saw that he was a sinner. Now this was all pre conversion, folks. As evidenced by the use of the past tense. Paul was looking back. But as Chapter 7 unfolds, we see that even after he was saved, he still struggled.
Romans 7:14 As outlined in 1 Cor. 23 there are basically 3 types of people: the “natural man”, who is unconverted; the “spiritual man”, who walks in the Spirit; and the “carnal man”, who is born again, but lives in the energy of his flesh. We tend to think the carnal man is living for his flesh – doing worldly things. But it’s much more than that. The carnal man not only lives for his flesh, but in the power of his flesh. Thus, although he can appear to be saintly and righteous, the carnal man is miserable internally because he knows he can’t live up to the rules, regulations, and expectations he has placed upon himself. That’s where Paul was. Yes, he was converted, but he was miserable in his carnality.
Romans 7:15 ‘I want to do what’s right,’ said Paul, ‘but I end up doing the things I hate.’ Ever feel that way, dieters as well as those with other struggles? ‘Oh, I really want victory, I’m determined. But what I want to do, I don’t do. And what I hate, I end up doing.’
Romans 7:1617 ‘The problem isn’t with the Law,’ said Paul. ‘The problem is with the sin in me.’
Romans 7:18 Whenever I’m disappointed in myself, it’s because I’m denying what God said when He said to us, “In you dwells no good thing.’ We all still battle with this. We may understand the concept theologically and maybe we can quote the verse from memory, but sometimes don’t we think, “Hey, there’s some good in me – isn’t there? Am I really this bad, Lord Jesus?
Every time I get down on myself, I hear His voice again say to me, ‘Didn’t I tell you straight out, didn’t I record it in black and white that in your flesh, in your personality dwells no good thing? Why, then, are you disappointed in yourself?’ I came across this interesting statistic; 75% of all people who attempt suicide describe themselves as perfectionists. This means that those who have a tendency to despair of life do so because they think there’s something good in them that they’re failing to utilize. They’re not living up to their selfimage. We teach our kids selfesteem, yet the Scriptures say, ‘Sorry. In you dwells no good thing.’ Far from depressing me, I am incredibly free when I finally understand this.
Romans 7:1819 ‘No matter which way I turn I can’t make myself do right, my performance does not measure up’, ever feel that way? Can you relate to Paul in his carnal state? I can!
Romans 7:20 Here’s how to differentiate between a “pig” and a “prodigal”, between an “unbeliever” and a “carnal Christian”; Take the pig out of the pigpen, wash him in bubble bath, spray him with cologne, put a ribbon in his hair, and a bow on his tail, and watch what happens the first time he sees some mud. The pig will wallow in it with joy. The prodigal, on the other hand – although he might foolishly find himself in the mud from time to time will not be comfortable there. Eventually, he’ll come to his senses and say, ‘Get me out of her. I hate this stuff.’ – which is exactly what Paul was saying.
Romans 7:2123 In my mind I want to follow the Law of God. I want to walk in His ways and keep His commandments. That’s truly my determination, my mindset. But my body rebels. My eyes are prone towards lusting. My ears strain to hear something juicy. My tongue wags oh, so readily to gossip. There’s a war going on. How can I get victory?
Romans 7:2324 When Paul was a natural man, the Law slew him. When he became a believer, he found himself once again under legalism, with a war going on inside of him. The original Translation of the last phrase of this verse sums up Paul’s state powerfully: ‘O wretched man that I am’ or ‘O what a miserable person that am’...that’s how we feel.
Romans 7:24 In Paul’s day, the man convicted of firstdegree murder was sentenced to be tied to the body of his victim. Often, the stench alone would kill the murderer. It is probably this Roman practice to which Paul is referring when he cries, ‘Who will free me from the failures, shortcomings, and sinful tendencies I’m forced to drag behind me wherever I go?”
Paul is now ready to lead us into an explosively liberating truth. In verse 18, he said, ‘How can I get victory?’ After struggling a little longer, he realizes it’s not ‘how’. It’s ‘who’. And he’s only a verse or two away from the most exciting part of Romans because he’s no longer looking for how. He realizes it’s “HE” (The Lord Jesus Christ!)
Many Christians are concerned with ‘how’. ‘Please give us procedures, plans, and programs,’ they say, not realizing those things only produce perpetual struggle. The flesh always cries ‘How, how how ‘ The Bible always answers, ‘HE.’
Romans 7:25 While we may readily agree with Paul that the answer lies not in a program or a procedure – it is harder for us to understand that neither is the answer found in a principle. What do I mean?
At this point in our study of Romans, we can say, ‘Wow! I get it. The penalty for my sin was paid on the Cross. The power of my sin was broken by the Cross. Preoccupation with my sin is eliminated because of the Cross. I’m free! It’s a principle I’m going to jot down in my journal and rejoice in.’
But wait. Even as I myself have immersed myself in the Book of Romans, in the past few days I’ve been on edge; my temper has flared; and I was taken aback by the ugliness of my own flesh until the Lord dealt with my heart again, saying, ‘You are free. But you are missing out on what only I can produce as you spend quality time with ME. (Spend the kind of quality time with Me that you would like someone to spend with you! There’s your example: Treat Me like you would like to be treated. Not a business relationship but a love relationship! J) Even if you have the principles down and the theology right, without spending time with Me, there will be no selfcontrol and peace, love and joy, gentleness and goodness, faith and meekness. Those only come from spending time with Me.’ Even Jesus Christ ministered out of the abundance of His relationship with the Father!J
Thus, I have found myself in the past few days more eager than ever to be in the presence of the Lord – for, while I have always been wary of programs, I have been prone to intrigue with positional truth. In recent days, however, the Lord has been reminding me once again, ‘The answer lies in spending time with Me – not legalistically, but just because without Me you can do nothing.’ (“I am the Vine you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in them bear much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” John 15:5)
® This afternoon, I was kneeling beside my bed, enjoying the Lord. As I got up to let in some air, my
finger got caught between the two windows. Now, although this was just the kind of irritation that had been getting to me in the past few day, this time I didn’t get upset at all. Why? It wasn’t because I was reading a book on how not to get mad when your finger gets stuck in the window. No, it’s because I was simply enjoying the Lord’s presence.
Who shall deliver me? Not ‘how practically’ or ‘what positional truth theologically’ – but Who shall deliver me? Like Paul, I declare to you emphatically that Jesus Christ is the key!
THE THREE KINDS OF PEOPLE IN THE BIBLE IN DETAILS
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Philippians 3 - IVP New Testament CommentariesResources » Commentaries » Philippians » Chapter 3 » exegesis
View Philippians 3:15-4:3
Although Paul's focus is altogether on the heavenly prize, his running shoes make regular contact with terra firma. So in the same way he did with Christ's story in 2:13-18, he applies his story to the situation in Philippi. Twice over he urges the Philippians to follow his example: first by having the same "mindset" as in his story (3:15-16), second by "joining together" in "walking" in his ways (v. 17). This is followed with a concluding set of stark contrasts: there are some who "walk" as enemies of the cross, whose mind is on earthly things and whose "future" isdestruction (vv. 18-19), whereas as citizens of heaven we await from there our Lord and Savior, who at his coming will transform our earthly bodies into the likeness of his present heavenly glory (vv. 20-21).
Following this glorious wrap-up of his second excursion into the Philippians' "affairs," Paul concludes with two final appeals, which connect this one to the first one. He returns first (4:1) to the primary appeal from 1:27 to stand firm in the Lord and second (4:2-3) to its accompanying appeal from 2:2-5 to "have one mindset," this time specifically applying it to two leaders of the community. Thus Paul's final application of his story recalls the two major concerns addressed in the two sections of the letter given to their affairs: steadfastness (including their keeping a steady gaze on Christ and their sure future) and unity in the face of opposition.
The glue that holds together this application and final appeal is friendship and the three-way bond (between him, them and Christ) that gives the whole letter cohesion. Paul's story (3:4-14) was devoted altogether to his relationship with Christ; these appeals now link that with the other two sides of the triangle (see figure 1 in commentary on page 21). First, his secure relationship with the Philippians allows him to tell his story for purposes of imitation, as he now explicitly tells them (indeed, he begins [vv. 15-16] and ends [vv. 20-21] with first-person plural verbs [see commentary on 3:3], thus reinforcing that he and they are in this together). Second, the clear aim of all this has to do with the Philippians' relationship with Christ, which is specifically picked up in the final application (3:20-21) and two final appeals (4:1, 2-3). Also like the preceding narrative, all of this is placed in the context of friends having enemies in common (vv. 18-19): some who have rejected imitating Paul are in this case enemies of the cross.First Application: Follow Paul's Mindset (3:15-16) Paul now concludes his story on the same note with which he began the story of Christ in 2:5, returning to the crucial verb (phroneo) that dominated the appeal in 2:1-5 (and will occur again in 3:19 and 4:2). Just as he urged them to a "mindset" (phroneite) in keeping with Christ's, so now he has told his story so that they will take . . . a view [phronomen] of things in keeping with his own. It is thus hardly coincidental that Paul's story corresponds at several crucial points with Christ's. The present application is in three parts: a direct application (v. 15a), a qualification (v. 15b) and a rejoinder to the qualification (v. 16).
Paul begins with an inferential "therefore" (omitted in the NIV), which explains why Paul tells his story. "In consequence of what I have been narrating," he says, "let us now hear the application." Which begins: All of us who are teleioi, a play on "I have not yet arrived at the goal" in verse 12. This appears to be a bit tongue in cheek, since he includes himself in the present designation: he who is "not yet" teleios ("completed") in the sense of eschatological hope is "already" teleios ("mature"), along with them, in terms of how he lives in the present as he awaits the final glory. Such a view of things translates a simple "this," which probably refers to the whole narrative, including the rejection of his Jewish past. But it especially includes his "participation in Christ's sufferings by being conformed to his death" and his eager pursuit of the eschatological prize, since that is the focus of verses 18-19 and 20-21: those who are enemies of the cross and who have set their mind . . . on earthly things are set in sharp contrast to us, whose citizenship is in heaven, from whence we eagerly await the Savior.
But then Paul makes a surprising qualification: And if on some point you think [phroneite] differently, that too God will make clear to you. Although some have seen here a hint of conflict between Paul and some in the community, that is most unlikely since Paul's tone carries not a whiff of the odor of controversy. Indeed, his words are almost nonchalant--a kind of "throwaway" sentence--which makes one think that no great issue can be in view. That not all of them would necessarily see things his way is implied, but that much has been implied throughout the letter.
Most likely this is another matter to be understood in the context of friendship. Paul is especially concerned that they follow his example, which happens also to be part and parcel of a patron-client friendship. But throughout the letter he studiously avoids any hint of this kind of superior-to-inferior expression of friendship; in fact he goes out of his way to make sure that their friendship is understood in terms of mutuality. That seems to be what is also going on here. He really is exhorting them to follow his example (as v. 17 will make even more clear); but exhortation in this case is not command, nor does it assume that all will see eye to eye with him on all matters. The emphasis in this sentence, after all, is on God's continuing to work among them through divine revelation. This would suggest that on some point does not so much reflect specifics that Paul has in mind, but generalities. Here is the offer of friendship; they may freely disagree with him at points--on many matters--and if any matter counts for something, Paul trusts God to bring them up to speed there as well.
Having allowed friends a difference of opinion, but stipulating that God will redirect their collective frame of mind in any case, Paul returns to his first point, expressed now in terms of behavior. "In any case," he rejoins, "on the matter at hand you need not wait for divine revelation." At the same time he returns also to the first-person plural, only let us live up to what we have already attained. Paul seems to be calling them to live in keeping with how they have already followed Christ, before they ever received this letter. Given his longtime--and loving--relationship with this church, and his frequent stops there, it is hard to imagine that in this letter he is telling them anything new. In fact in 3:1 he has said quite the opposite, that it is not burdensome for him to "write the same things" again as a "safeguard." Thus both the Christ narrative, which is foundational for his, and his own story are not new; rather they tell the "old, old story" all over again. This is what he and they have already attained, even if some are now slacking off in some way and for some reason.
The best explanation of the "why" of all this is the one suggested before, that in the face of opposition and some internal dissension, some of the Philippians have lost their vision for and focus on their crucified and risen Lord, including his coming again. Even in a Roman prison Paul has not lost his vision; here he urges them to follow his example and to see their participation in Christ's sufferings as Christ's way of "conforming them to his death," so that they, with Paul, may joyously gain the prize of his eternal presence.Second Application--Follow Paul's Ways (3:17)For Paul correct thinking must lead to right living. Having thus concluded the first application by urging the Philippians to conform their behavior to what they have been doing in the past, he now presses that point again, but especially in light of some who do not. As in verse 13, he emphasizes the repetition with the vocative, brothers [and sisters]. At the same time he also returns to his more standard language of "walking" (NIV live; see commentary on 1:27) and "imitation" (NIV following). Thus, in keeping with his Jewish heritage, Paul urges his friends to join"together" (not with others; see note) in "imitating me," again emphasizing their being united in doing so, by "walking" as Paul himself did.
What is in view from his heritage is the pupil who learned not simply by receiving instruction but by putting into practice the example of the teacher; the one who so imitates, internalizes and lives out the model presented by the teacher. Also in that heritage ethical life was thought of in terms of "walking in the ways of the Lord." Thus Paul urges the Philippians to take note of those who "walk just as you have us as a model." The grammar and language of this clause imply a group of people that extends beyond the Philippians themselves. Along with "watching out for" the itinerants who would "mutilate" them (3:2), they are to "take note of" or "be on the lookout for" people (probably other itinerants) who, like themselves, walk in keeping with the example they find in Paul.
Three matters are thus brought together in this second application: (1) that their behavior conform to the pattern Paul has just given them in his story (3:4-14); (2) that they corporately join together in imitating Paul in this way; and (3) that they take note of others who come along who "walk" this way, precisely because, as he will spell out in the next sentence, there are many who walk otherwise.Indictment of Those Who Do Not (3:18-19) With an explanatory for, Paul proceeds to put his own model in contrast with that of some others, whose "walk" is quite the opposite of his. Who these people are has been grounds for considerable debate, no solution to which is totally satisfactory. More important for us is what Paul says of them and how they fit into the preceding application of his story and the succeeding appeals in 4:1-3. Whatever else, they exemplify a "mindset" (3:19) at odds with Paul's, and therefore with that being urged on the Philippians. Rather than living cruciform (3:10-11), they "walk" as enemies of the cross of Christ (v. 18); and rather than pressing on to gain the final prize (vv. 12-14) and thus eagerly awaiting a Savior from heaven (v. 20), their mind isset on earthly things and therefore their destiny is destruction.These three indictments, which so clearly fit the present context, frame two others whose meaning is more difficult to determine:their god is their stomach and their glory is in their shame.
In calling them enemies of the cross of Christ Paul is, as the first matter, intentionally setting them over against both Christ (2:8) and himself (2:10-11). According to 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, the cross stands as God's utter contradiction to human wisdom and power, and therefore inevitably creates enemies of those who refuse to go that route (which is why the triumphalists in Corinth opposed Paul's gospel and apostleship; see Fee 1987:165-82). Since any of two or three kinds of people would fit the description, the phrase helps very little with a specific identification. That their destiny is destruction makes it clear that Paul does not consider them to be followers of Christ at all; whether they once were so would at least make sense of his telling the Philippians about them once again even with tears(probably tears of sorrow for those who should know better; cf. Jer 9:1 in light of Phil 3:3 and 8). But in any case, as in 1:28, which it echoes, the language cannot be softened to mean anything other than eternal destruction. The contextual reason for its appearing second in this listing, as over against its logical place at the end, is probably rhetorical effect. Since the way of the cross is central to Paul's concern, the "end" for those who areenemies of the cross is brought forward to a place immediately following.
Their god is their stomach and its companion, their glory is in their shame, are especially difficult and therefore have led to all kinds of speculation. Only one thing seems certain: that these two phrases belong with the final one, giving concrete expression to what that one generalizes, namely that they live only for the present; they have set their minds on earthly, not on heavenly, things. The first phrase is very close to what Paul says of some divisive people in Romans 16:17-18 ("such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites"); in both instances the imagery probably refers to some specific behavior. But to what? "Stomach" may be a metonymy for the craving after sumptuous fare, or perhaps for surfeiting. One cannot be sure. Perhaps it is intended to be more representative--of those who are so given over to present bodily desires of all kinds, represented by the appetites, that such has become a god to them.From our distance, their glory is in their shame is even more cryptic. It is connected to their god is their stomach by a single relative pronoun, suggesting that this is the flip side of whatever that one means. Glory is what they delight in; shame is how they should perceive their behavior. The word glory is undoubtedly another wordplay, setting up the contrast to our being transformed into the likeness of Christ's present body "of glory" in Philippians 3:21. Hence it is an especially striking bit of irony, where not only are they not destined for glory at all, because of their present enmity to the cross, but what glory they have in the present lies precisely in what should be for them a matter of shame. But beyond that, in terms of specifics, we are largely in the dark.
With the final phrase, their mind is on earthly things, we come to where the whole indictment has been heading right along. Two things are significant for understanding. First, Paul once more uses the crucial verb from 2:2-5 and 3:15. They do not simply "think about" earthly things; their "minds are set on"(phronountes) such things, which stands in pointed antithesis to Paul's own mindset as portrayed in his personal story. His mind is set altogether on Christ, whose cross serves as pattern for his own life. Second, the earthly things their minds are set on sum up the former two; this is what it means finally to be given over to the stomach as one's deity and to glory in what should be shameful. By their fruit, Paul says, you will know them; by their focus you will also recognize that they are not walking according to the pattern of Christ and his apostle.
At the same time it sets up the contrast that follows. Here is the second crucial matter. These people over whom Paul weeps are first of all enemies of the cross; they are now characterized as those who have abandoned the pursuit of the heavenly prize, in favor of what belongs only to the present scheme of things.
Who these people are can only be speculated. Some things remind us of the "dogs" with which the section began; but their (apparently) libertine ways clearly do not. Most likely Paul is here picking up on the major concerns of his personal narrative in 3:4-14, by reminding the Philippians again of some about whom he has often told them in the past, who have left the way of the cross and are pursuing present, earthly concerns. He is probably describing some itinerants whose view of the faith allows them a great deal of undisciplined self-indulgence. In any case, they have not appeared heretofore in the letter and do not appear again. They have served their immediate purpose of standing in sharp relief to Paul's own "walk" and to his heavenly pursuit, so crucial to this letter, and toward which Paul now turns once more as he begins to draw this appeal to an end.The Future of Those Who Do (3:20-21) Besides serving as Paul's immediate response to the "many" who "walk" contrary to the Pauline pattern, this sentence concludes the long exhortation that began in 3:1, returning to the theme of the eschatological prize (vv. 12-14) by underscoring its certainty. Whatever the current threat was, and whatever its source, Paul has apparently sensed an ebb in the Philippians' eschatological anticipation, a matter he has spoken to throughout the letter. At the same time, by picking up the play on their dualcitizenship (cf. 1:27), plus the final affirmation that our Savior (a common title for the emperor) is the one who will also bring everything under his control, Paul puts their present situation--opposition in Philippi resulting in suffering--into divine perspective. All of this is said in a sentence that rises to extraordinary christological heights: not only is Christ the focus and center of everything, but his activities here are those ordinarily attributed to God the Father in Pauline salvation texts.
All kinds of contrasts mark the sentence: the inclusive we (cf. 3:3, 15-16) over against "them"; heaven over against earthly things; aglorious future over against destruction; and true glory over against the shame they glory in. Paul begins by emphasizing thatour citizenship is in heaven, thus offering the ultimate reason for following his example and for looking out for others who do so as well (v. 17), while at the same time returning to the wordplay oncitizenship from 1:27. In a classic expression of the "already/not yet" framework of his theology, Paul says in effect that "we are a colony of heaven" as we live the life of the future, our true homeland, while living presently in the Roman colony of Philippi.
Because heaven is our true homeland, we eagerly await ourSavior from there, he goes on--in yet one more play on their Roman citizenship and clear attempt to encourage them in their present suffering. The primary title for the Roman emperor was "lord and savior"; Paul now puts those two words side by side: our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, who will not only transform our present humiliation into glory but do this in keeping with thepower that enables him to bring everything under his control(including the Roman lord and savior, Nero Caesar!). All of this to reassure the Philippians that the heavenly prize is absolutely worth pursuing (vv. 12-14).
Now, however, instead of thinking about "attaining to the resurrection" (v. 11), Paul thinks in terms of Christ's return. The net result is the same. Our present earthly existence is expressed in terms of (literally) "the body of our [present] humble station" (NIV lowly bodies, same word as in 2:3 and 8), which for many of us is a constant reminder of our creatureliness. These Christ will transform so that they are (again literally) "conformed [symmorphon; cf. symmorphizomenos in 3:10] to the body of his glory." Therefore, just as knowing Christ now means being conformed into the likeness of his death (v. 10), so in our final glory we will be conformed into the likeness of his resurrection.
Christ's present existence is bodily in the sense of 1 Corinthians 15, that the body is the point of continuity between the present and the future. The form of that body is the point of discontinuity--a "mystery," Paul says--but adapted to the final life of the Spirit; hence it is a "supernatural body," or as here, "the body of his [present] glory." The good new is that the same future awaits those who are his, which is Paul's present concern. Our current lot, he has argued in 1:29-30 (cf. 2:17), is to suffer for Christ's sake. But we can "rejoice in the Lord" in the midst of such suffering (2:18; 3:1; 4:4) because our suffering itself is enabled by "the power of his resurrection" (3:10), which resurrection at the same time guarantees our certain future. Hence in our present "humiliation" we await the coming of the Savior, and with that coming the transformation of our humiliation into the likeness of his glory.
Moreover, the power by which Christ will bring about this transformation is "in keeping with [NIV by] the working" that enables him "also to subject all things to himself" (NIV to bring everything under his control). In some ways this is the most remarkable transformation of all, in that Paul here uses language about Christ that he elsewhere uses only of God the Father. The phrase "able to subject all things to himself" is Paul's eschatological interpretation of Psalm 8:7, where God will "subject all things" to his Messiah, who in turn, according to 1 Corinthians 15:28, will turn over all things to God the Father so that "God might be all and in all." Remarkably, in the present passage the subjecting of all things to himself is said to be by Christ's own power.
The little word "also" has unfortunately been omitted from many English translations, including the NIV. Here is the final word of assurance to the Philippians. By the same power by which he will transform their present bodies that are suffering at the hand of opposition in Philippi, Christ will likewise subject "all things" to himself, including the emperor and all those who in his name are causing the Philippians to suffer. As Paul has already said in 1:28, their own salvation from God will at the same time result in the destruction of the opposition.
It simply cannot be put any better than that. This passage reminds us that despite appearances often to the contrary, God is in control, that our salvation is not just for today but forever, that Christ is coming again, and that at his coming we inherit the final glory that belongs to Christ alone--and to those who are his. It means the final subjugation of all the "powers" to him as well, especially those responsible for the present affliction of God's people. With Paul we would do well not merely to await the end but eagerly to press on toward the goal, since the final prize is but the consummation of what God has already accomplished through the death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord.Final Appeal I--Stand Firm (4:1) With two final appeals Paul brings 3:1-21 to conclusion. At the same time he reaches further back into the letter to bring closure to the twin issues raised in 1:27--2:18: that they remain steadfast in the gospel and do so as one person in the one Spirit. The appeals belong together; they are expressed with great skill, full of friendship indicators.
The first appeal is directed toward the whole community; simultaneously it applies the preceding word of future hope, recalls the primary exhortation of 1:27 with which the "their affairs" sections of the letter began, and leads into the specific appeal of 4:2-3.
Friendship here takes the form of a remarkable elaboration of Paul's ordinary vocative, brothers [and sisters]: it becomes mybrothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown. This profusion of modifiers reminds them once again of his deep feelings for them and his deep concern for their present and future. The first set (whom I love and long for) recalls their primary relationship: his love for them accompanied by a deep longing for them. So much does this relational concern matter to him that he repeats--awkwardly from the perspective of grammar, but effectively from the perspective of relationship--the vocative "beloved" at the end of the sentence (NIV dear friends,evidence that English is not comfortable with such repetition). The second set is eschatological and is as prospective as the former is retrospective, looking toward the time when 3:20-21 will have come to fulfillment and the Philippians stand before Christ with Paul as my joy and crown (cf. 1 Thess 2:19), his "boast on the day of Christ" (2:16).
Nearly getting lost in this piling up of endearing vocatives is the appeal itself, stand firm (recalling 1:27), now modified with "thus" (NIV this is how) and in the Lord. During the Philippians' present distress they are to stand firm in the Lord, firmly planted in relationship with the same Lord whose coming they eagerly await and who will then subject all things to himself (3:20-21). And they are "thus" to stand firm, referring probably to the whole of 3:1-21, but especially to their imitation of Paul by their upright "walk" even as they bend every effort to attain the final prize.Final Appeal II--Be of the Same Mind (4:2-3) Paul proceeds directly to his final appeal. Given its verbatim repetition of 2:2 and its specific naming of persons, very likely this is where much of the letter has been heading right along. In a media-saturated culture like ours, where naming the guilty or the grand is a way of life, it is hard for us to sense how extraordinary this moment is. Apart from greetings and the occasional mention of his coworkers or envoys, Paul rarely ever mentions anyone by name. But here he does, and not because Euodia and Syntyche are the "bad ones" who need to be singled out--precisely the opposite. That he names them at all is evidence of friendship, since one of the marks of enmity in polemical letters is that enemies are left unnamed, thus denigrated by anonymity.
These longtime friends and coworkers, who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, are no longer seeing eye to eye with each other. We know very little more about them. Syntyche was named after the goddess of fortune, indicating pagan origins; both were given names (roughly "Success" and "Lucky") indicative of parental desire for their making good in the world. That Paul had women as coworkers in Philippi should surprise us none, since the church there had its origins among some Gentile women who, as "God-fearers," met by the river on the Jewish sabbath for prayer (Acts 16:13-15). The evidence from Acts indicates that at her conversion Lydia became patron both of the small apostolic band and of the nascent Christian community. By the very nature of things, that meant she was also a leader in the church, since heads of households automatically assumed the same role in the church that was centered in that household. Moreover, Macedonian women in general had a much larger role in public life than one finds elsewhere in the Empire; in Philippi in particular they were also well-known for their religious devotion.
Paul now entreats these two leaders to agree with each other(phronein, "have the same mindset") in the Lord. Given (a) the brevity of this letter, (b) that the letter would have been read aloud in the gathered community in a single sitting, and (c) that appeals to "have the same mindset" are part of the stuff of letters of friendship, one can be sure that the present appeal is to be understood as the specific application of the earlier ones in Philippians 2:2 and 3:15. Given its position at the end, it is also probably related to the foregoing warning and appeal (3:1-21).
Paul refuses to take sides, thus maintaining friendship with all. He appeals to both women--indeed the identical repetition of their names followed by the verb has rhetorical effect--to bury their differences by adopting the "same mindset." As in the immediately preceding appeal, it is qualified in the Lord, evidence that we are not dealing with a personal matter but with "doing the gospel" in Philippi. Having "the same mindset" in the Lord has been specifically spelled out in the preceding paradigmatic narratives, where Christ (2:6-11) has humbled himself by taking the "form of a slave" and thus becoming obedient unto death on a cross, and Paul (3:4-14) has expressed his longing to know Christ in a cruciform way.
In another intriguing moment, Paul turns momentarily to address another coworker, asking him to help Euodia and Syntyche respond to the appeal: Yes, and I ask you [singular] also, loyal yokefellow ( "genuine companion"), help these women. What intrigues is that in a letter addressed to the whole church he should single out one person in this way (which he does nowhere else in his community-directed letters). Since the Philippians knew him well, rather than naming him Paul "authorizes" his assistance with the epithet "genuine companion." The appellation yokefellow,along with the adjective "genuine" (which he uses elsewhere to refer to intimate coworkers), indicates the closest kind of partnership between him and Paul. Although well-known and currently living there, he is almost certainly not a native of Philippi (since the others named and unnamed certainly are). Most likely he is one of Paul's itinerant coworkers who is presently on the scene there. Luke would fit the description perfectly. Not only was he such a "true companion," but in Acts 16 the "we" narrative takes Luke to Philippi, where it leaves off until Paul's return to Philippi some four to six years later in 20:1-5. The author of Acts surely intends his readers to understand that he had spent these intervening years in Philippi. If so, then as one of Paul's most trusted companions, he had given oversight to that work for some years in the past.
Paul's erstwhile companion is thus asked to help Euodia and Syntyche, obviously to "be of the same mind" in the Lord. It is perhaps significant for our day to note the mediatorial role that Paul's yokefellow was expected to play, rather than leaving the two women to work out the problem on their own. Even so, Paul's focus is still on Euodia and Syntyche, not on his yokefellow, and especially, as throughout the letter, their (including the whole community) partnership with him in the gospel. His word order tells the story: inasmuch as in the gospel they have contended by my side. (On the athletic/military metaphor contended at my side, see commentary on 1:27; cf. 2:13-14.)
About Clement and the rest of my fellow workers we know nothing. The context demands that they are fellow Philippians. Why Paul should single out Clement is a singular mystery, made all the more so by the unusual way the phrase is attached to the former clause, along with Clement and the rest. This can only mean that these have also contended at my side along with Euodia and Syntyche in the cause of the gospel in Philippi. This is probably as close to an "aside" as one gets in Paul's letters. Having just mentioned Euodia and Syntyche in particular, he includes the others who were with him in that ministry from the beginning, for some good reason mentioning Clement in particular, perhaps not wanting to mention the rest by name lest he exclude any. In its own way, therefore, the clause probably functions as a gentle reminder to all who lead the believing community in Philippi to "have the same mindset in the Lord," even though that is not specifically said of or to them.
As so often in this letter, even here Paul concludes on an eschatological note. The ultimate reason for all of them (Euodia, Syntyche, Clement and the rest) to get it together in Philippi, as they await from heaven the coming of their Lord and Savior (3:20), is that their names are in the book of life. This unusual (for Paul) language is common stock from his Jewish heritage, where the faithful were understood to have their names recorded in the heavenly "book of the living," meaning the book that has recorded in it those who have received divine life (thus "the book of the living," Ps 68:29) and are thus destined for glory.
With these words Paul brings the specific hortatory sections of the letter to conclusion. In both verses 1 and 2-3 he has picked up the eschatological note from 3:20-21 that immediately precedes; and in both cases the note is affirmation and reassurance. If his concern in these exhortations is with the present--the believers' steadfastness and unity for the sake of the gospel in Philippi--his focus has regularly been on their certain future. He and they together have their names recorded in the book of life, and for that reason, as a colony of heaven in the Roman colony of Philippi, they need to live the life of the future now as they await its consummation.
When the dust clears and one gets beyond the specifics about names and "women in leadership," it is hard to imagine New Testament exhortations that are more contemporary--for every age and clime--than these. To stand firm in the Lord is not just a word for the individual believer, as such words are often taken, but for any local body of believers. The gospel is ever and always at stake in our world, and the call to God's people, whose names are written in the book of life, is to live that life now in whatever "Philippi" and in the face of whatever opposition it is found. But to do so effectively, its people, especially those in leadership, must learn to subordinate personal agendas to the larger agenda of the gospel, "to have the same mindset in the Lord." This means humbling, sacrificial giving of oneself for the sake of others; but then that is what the gospel is all about. So in effect these exhortations merely call us to genuine Christian life in the face of every form of pagan and religious opposition.
At the same time, here is one of those pieces of "mute" evidence for women in leadership in the New Testament, significant in this case for its offhanded, presuppositional way of speaking about them. To deny women's role in the church in Philippi is to fly full in the face of the text. Here is the evidence that the Holy Spirit is gender-blind, that he gifts as he wills. Our task is to recognize his gifting and to assist all such people, male and female, to "have the same mindset in the Lord," so that together they will be effective in doing the gospel.
View Philippians 3:15-4:3
Although Paul's focus is altogether on the heavenly prize, his running shoes make regular contact with terra firma. So in the same way he did with Christ's story in 2:13-18, he applies his story to the situation in Philippi. Twice over he urges the Philippians to follow his example: first by having the same "mindset" as in his story (3:15-16), second by "joining together" in "walking" in his ways (v. 17). This is followed with a concluding set of stark contrasts: there are some who "walk" as enemies of the cross, whose mind is on earthly things and whose "future" isdestruction (vv. 18-19), whereas as citizens of heaven we await from there our Lord and Savior, who at his coming will transform our earthly bodies into the likeness of his present heavenly glory (vv. 20-21).
Following this glorious wrap-up of his second excursion into the Philippians' "affairs," Paul concludes with two final appeals, which connect this one to the first one. He returns first (4:1) to the primary appeal from 1:27 to stand firm in the Lord and second (4:2-3) to its accompanying appeal from 2:2-5 to "have one mindset," this time specifically applying it to two leaders of the community. Thus Paul's final application of his story recalls the two major concerns addressed in the two sections of the letter given to their affairs: steadfastness (including their keeping a steady gaze on Christ and their sure future) and unity in the face of opposition.
The glue that holds together this application and final appeal is friendship and the three-way bond (between him, them and Christ) that gives the whole letter cohesion. Paul's story (3:4-14) was devoted altogether to his relationship with Christ; these appeals now link that with the other two sides of the triangle (see figure 1 in commentary on page 21). First, his secure relationship with the Philippians allows him to tell his story for purposes of imitation, as he now explicitly tells them (indeed, he begins [vv. 15-16] and ends [vv. 20-21] with first-person plural verbs [see commentary on 3:3], thus reinforcing that he and they are in this together). Second, the clear aim of all this has to do with the Philippians' relationship with Christ, which is specifically picked up in the final application (3:20-21) and two final appeals (4:1, 2-3). Also like the preceding narrative, all of this is placed in the context of friends having enemies in common (vv. 18-19): some who have rejected imitating Paul are in this case enemies of the cross.First Application: Follow Paul's Mindset (3:15-16) Paul now concludes his story on the same note with which he began the story of Christ in 2:5, returning to the crucial verb (phroneo) that dominated the appeal in 2:1-5 (and will occur again in 3:19 and 4:2). Just as he urged them to a "mindset" (phroneite) in keeping with Christ's, so now he has told his story so that they will take . . . a view [phronomen] of things in keeping with his own. It is thus hardly coincidental that Paul's story corresponds at several crucial points with Christ's. The present application is in three parts: a direct application (v. 15a), a qualification (v. 15b) and a rejoinder to the qualification (v. 16).
Paul begins with an inferential "therefore" (omitted in the NIV), which explains why Paul tells his story. "In consequence of what I have been narrating," he says, "let us now hear the application." Which begins: All of us who are teleioi, a play on "I have not yet arrived at the goal" in verse 12. This appears to be a bit tongue in cheek, since he includes himself in the present designation: he who is "not yet" teleios ("completed") in the sense of eschatological hope is "already" teleios ("mature"), along with them, in terms of how he lives in the present as he awaits the final glory. Such a view of things translates a simple "this," which probably refers to the whole narrative, including the rejection of his Jewish past. But it especially includes his "participation in Christ's sufferings by being conformed to his death" and his eager pursuit of the eschatological prize, since that is the focus of verses 18-19 and 20-21: those who are enemies of the cross and who have set their mind . . . on earthly things are set in sharp contrast to us, whose citizenship is in heaven, from whence we eagerly await the Savior.
But then Paul makes a surprising qualification: And if on some point you think [phroneite] differently, that too God will make clear to you. Although some have seen here a hint of conflict between Paul and some in the community, that is most unlikely since Paul's tone carries not a whiff of the odor of controversy. Indeed, his words are almost nonchalant--a kind of "throwaway" sentence--which makes one think that no great issue can be in view. That not all of them would necessarily see things his way is implied, but that much has been implied throughout the letter.
Most likely this is another matter to be understood in the context of friendship. Paul is especially concerned that they follow his example, which happens also to be part and parcel of a patron-client friendship. But throughout the letter he studiously avoids any hint of this kind of superior-to-inferior expression of friendship; in fact he goes out of his way to make sure that their friendship is understood in terms of mutuality. That seems to be what is also going on here. He really is exhorting them to follow his example (as v. 17 will make even more clear); but exhortation in this case is not command, nor does it assume that all will see eye to eye with him on all matters. The emphasis in this sentence, after all, is on God's continuing to work among them through divine revelation. This would suggest that on some point does not so much reflect specifics that Paul has in mind, but generalities. Here is the offer of friendship; they may freely disagree with him at points--on many matters--and if any matter counts for something, Paul trusts God to bring them up to speed there as well.
Having allowed friends a difference of opinion, but stipulating that God will redirect their collective frame of mind in any case, Paul returns to his first point, expressed now in terms of behavior. "In any case," he rejoins, "on the matter at hand you need not wait for divine revelation." At the same time he returns also to the first-person plural, only let us live up to what we have already attained. Paul seems to be calling them to live in keeping with how they have already followed Christ, before they ever received this letter. Given his longtime--and loving--relationship with this church, and his frequent stops there, it is hard to imagine that in this letter he is telling them anything new. In fact in 3:1 he has said quite the opposite, that it is not burdensome for him to "write the same things" again as a "safeguard." Thus both the Christ narrative, which is foundational for his, and his own story are not new; rather they tell the "old, old story" all over again. This is what he and they have already attained, even if some are now slacking off in some way and for some reason.
The best explanation of the "why" of all this is the one suggested before, that in the face of opposition and some internal dissension, some of the Philippians have lost their vision for and focus on their crucified and risen Lord, including his coming again. Even in a Roman prison Paul has not lost his vision; here he urges them to follow his example and to see their participation in Christ's sufferings as Christ's way of "conforming them to his death," so that they, with Paul, may joyously gain the prize of his eternal presence.Second Application--Follow Paul's Ways (3:17)For Paul correct thinking must lead to right living. Having thus concluded the first application by urging the Philippians to conform their behavior to what they have been doing in the past, he now presses that point again, but especially in light of some who do not. As in verse 13, he emphasizes the repetition with the vocative, brothers [and sisters]. At the same time he also returns to his more standard language of "walking" (NIV live; see commentary on 1:27) and "imitation" (NIV following). Thus, in keeping with his Jewish heritage, Paul urges his friends to join"together" (not with others; see note) in "imitating me," again emphasizing their being united in doing so, by "walking" as Paul himself did.
What is in view from his heritage is the pupil who learned not simply by receiving instruction but by putting into practice the example of the teacher; the one who so imitates, internalizes and lives out the model presented by the teacher. Also in that heritage ethical life was thought of in terms of "walking in the ways of the Lord." Thus Paul urges the Philippians to take note of those who "walk just as you have us as a model." The grammar and language of this clause imply a group of people that extends beyond the Philippians themselves. Along with "watching out for" the itinerants who would "mutilate" them (3:2), they are to "take note of" or "be on the lookout for" people (probably other itinerants) who, like themselves, walk in keeping with the example they find in Paul.
Three matters are thus brought together in this second application: (1) that their behavior conform to the pattern Paul has just given them in his story (3:4-14); (2) that they corporately join together in imitating Paul in this way; and (3) that they take note of others who come along who "walk" this way, precisely because, as he will spell out in the next sentence, there are many who walk otherwise.Indictment of Those Who Do Not (3:18-19) With an explanatory for, Paul proceeds to put his own model in contrast with that of some others, whose "walk" is quite the opposite of his. Who these people are has been grounds for considerable debate, no solution to which is totally satisfactory. More important for us is what Paul says of them and how they fit into the preceding application of his story and the succeeding appeals in 4:1-3. Whatever else, they exemplify a "mindset" (3:19) at odds with Paul's, and therefore with that being urged on the Philippians. Rather than living cruciform (3:10-11), they "walk" as enemies of the cross of Christ (v. 18); and rather than pressing on to gain the final prize (vv. 12-14) and thus eagerly awaiting a Savior from heaven (v. 20), their mind isset on earthly things and therefore their destiny is destruction.These three indictments, which so clearly fit the present context, frame two others whose meaning is more difficult to determine:their god is their stomach and their glory is in their shame.
In calling them enemies of the cross of Christ Paul is, as the first matter, intentionally setting them over against both Christ (2:8) and himself (2:10-11). According to 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, the cross stands as God's utter contradiction to human wisdom and power, and therefore inevitably creates enemies of those who refuse to go that route (which is why the triumphalists in Corinth opposed Paul's gospel and apostleship; see Fee 1987:165-82). Since any of two or three kinds of people would fit the description, the phrase helps very little with a specific identification. That their destiny is destruction makes it clear that Paul does not consider them to be followers of Christ at all; whether they once were so would at least make sense of his telling the Philippians about them once again even with tears(probably tears of sorrow for those who should know better; cf. Jer 9:1 in light of Phil 3:3 and 8). But in any case, as in 1:28, which it echoes, the language cannot be softened to mean anything other than eternal destruction. The contextual reason for its appearing second in this listing, as over against its logical place at the end, is probably rhetorical effect. Since the way of the cross is central to Paul's concern, the "end" for those who areenemies of the cross is brought forward to a place immediately following.
Their god is their stomach and its companion, their glory is in their shame, are especially difficult and therefore have led to all kinds of speculation. Only one thing seems certain: that these two phrases belong with the final one, giving concrete expression to what that one generalizes, namely that they live only for the present; they have set their minds on earthly, not on heavenly, things. The first phrase is very close to what Paul says of some divisive people in Romans 16:17-18 ("such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites"); in both instances the imagery probably refers to some specific behavior. But to what? "Stomach" may be a metonymy for the craving after sumptuous fare, or perhaps for surfeiting. One cannot be sure. Perhaps it is intended to be more representative--of those who are so given over to present bodily desires of all kinds, represented by the appetites, that such has become a god to them.From our distance, their glory is in their shame is even more cryptic. It is connected to their god is their stomach by a single relative pronoun, suggesting that this is the flip side of whatever that one means. Glory is what they delight in; shame is how they should perceive their behavior. The word glory is undoubtedly another wordplay, setting up the contrast to our being transformed into the likeness of Christ's present body "of glory" in Philippians 3:21. Hence it is an especially striking bit of irony, where not only are they not destined for glory at all, because of their present enmity to the cross, but what glory they have in the present lies precisely in what should be for them a matter of shame. But beyond that, in terms of specifics, we are largely in the dark.
With the final phrase, their mind is on earthly things, we come to where the whole indictment has been heading right along. Two things are significant for understanding. First, Paul once more uses the crucial verb from 2:2-5 and 3:15. They do not simply "think about" earthly things; their "minds are set on"(phronountes) such things, which stands in pointed antithesis to Paul's own mindset as portrayed in his personal story. His mind is set altogether on Christ, whose cross serves as pattern for his own life. Second, the earthly things their minds are set on sum up the former two; this is what it means finally to be given over to the stomach as one's deity and to glory in what should be shameful. By their fruit, Paul says, you will know them; by their focus you will also recognize that they are not walking according to the pattern of Christ and his apostle.
At the same time it sets up the contrast that follows. Here is the second crucial matter. These people over whom Paul weeps are first of all enemies of the cross; they are now characterized as those who have abandoned the pursuit of the heavenly prize, in favor of what belongs only to the present scheme of things.
Who these people are can only be speculated. Some things remind us of the "dogs" with which the section began; but their (apparently) libertine ways clearly do not. Most likely Paul is here picking up on the major concerns of his personal narrative in 3:4-14, by reminding the Philippians again of some about whom he has often told them in the past, who have left the way of the cross and are pursuing present, earthly concerns. He is probably describing some itinerants whose view of the faith allows them a great deal of undisciplined self-indulgence. In any case, they have not appeared heretofore in the letter and do not appear again. They have served their immediate purpose of standing in sharp relief to Paul's own "walk" and to his heavenly pursuit, so crucial to this letter, and toward which Paul now turns once more as he begins to draw this appeal to an end.The Future of Those Who Do (3:20-21) Besides serving as Paul's immediate response to the "many" who "walk" contrary to the Pauline pattern, this sentence concludes the long exhortation that began in 3:1, returning to the theme of the eschatological prize (vv. 12-14) by underscoring its certainty. Whatever the current threat was, and whatever its source, Paul has apparently sensed an ebb in the Philippians' eschatological anticipation, a matter he has spoken to throughout the letter. At the same time, by picking up the play on their dualcitizenship (cf. 1:27), plus the final affirmation that our Savior (a common title for the emperor) is the one who will also bring everything under his control, Paul puts their present situation--opposition in Philippi resulting in suffering--into divine perspective. All of this is said in a sentence that rises to extraordinary christological heights: not only is Christ the focus and center of everything, but his activities here are those ordinarily attributed to God the Father in Pauline salvation texts.
All kinds of contrasts mark the sentence: the inclusive we (cf. 3:3, 15-16) over against "them"; heaven over against earthly things; aglorious future over against destruction; and true glory over against the shame they glory in. Paul begins by emphasizing thatour citizenship is in heaven, thus offering the ultimate reason for following his example and for looking out for others who do so as well (v. 17), while at the same time returning to the wordplay oncitizenship from 1:27. In a classic expression of the "already/not yet" framework of his theology, Paul says in effect that "we are a colony of heaven" as we live the life of the future, our true homeland, while living presently in the Roman colony of Philippi.
Because heaven is our true homeland, we eagerly await ourSavior from there, he goes on--in yet one more play on their Roman citizenship and clear attempt to encourage them in their present suffering. The primary title for the Roman emperor was "lord and savior"; Paul now puts those two words side by side: our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, who will not only transform our present humiliation into glory but do this in keeping with thepower that enables him to bring everything under his control(including the Roman lord and savior, Nero Caesar!). All of this to reassure the Philippians that the heavenly prize is absolutely worth pursuing (vv. 12-14).
Now, however, instead of thinking about "attaining to the resurrection" (v. 11), Paul thinks in terms of Christ's return. The net result is the same. Our present earthly existence is expressed in terms of (literally) "the body of our [present] humble station" (NIV lowly bodies, same word as in 2:3 and 8), which for many of us is a constant reminder of our creatureliness. These Christ will transform so that they are (again literally) "conformed [symmorphon; cf. symmorphizomenos in 3:10] to the body of his glory." Therefore, just as knowing Christ now means being conformed into the likeness of his death (v. 10), so in our final glory we will be conformed into the likeness of his resurrection.
Christ's present existence is bodily in the sense of 1 Corinthians 15, that the body is the point of continuity between the present and the future. The form of that body is the point of discontinuity--a "mystery," Paul says--but adapted to the final life of the Spirit; hence it is a "supernatural body," or as here, "the body of his [present] glory." The good new is that the same future awaits those who are his, which is Paul's present concern. Our current lot, he has argued in 1:29-30 (cf. 2:17), is to suffer for Christ's sake. But we can "rejoice in the Lord" in the midst of such suffering (2:18; 3:1; 4:4) because our suffering itself is enabled by "the power of his resurrection" (3:10), which resurrection at the same time guarantees our certain future. Hence in our present "humiliation" we await the coming of the Savior, and with that coming the transformation of our humiliation into the likeness of his glory.
Moreover, the power by which Christ will bring about this transformation is "in keeping with [NIV by] the working" that enables him "also to subject all things to himself" (NIV to bring everything under his control). In some ways this is the most remarkable transformation of all, in that Paul here uses language about Christ that he elsewhere uses only of God the Father. The phrase "able to subject all things to himself" is Paul's eschatological interpretation of Psalm 8:7, where God will "subject all things" to his Messiah, who in turn, according to 1 Corinthians 15:28, will turn over all things to God the Father so that "God might be all and in all." Remarkably, in the present passage the subjecting of all things to himself is said to be by Christ's own power.
The little word "also" has unfortunately been omitted from many English translations, including the NIV. Here is the final word of assurance to the Philippians. By the same power by which he will transform their present bodies that are suffering at the hand of opposition in Philippi, Christ will likewise subject "all things" to himself, including the emperor and all those who in his name are causing the Philippians to suffer. As Paul has already said in 1:28, their own salvation from God will at the same time result in the destruction of the opposition.
It simply cannot be put any better than that. This passage reminds us that despite appearances often to the contrary, God is in control, that our salvation is not just for today but forever, that Christ is coming again, and that at his coming we inherit the final glory that belongs to Christ alone--and to those who are his. It means the final subjugation of all the "powers" to him as well, especially those responsible for the present affliction of God's people. With Paul we would do well not merely to await the end but eagerly to press on toward the goal, since the final prize is but the consummation of what God has already accomplished through the death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord.Final Appeal I--Stand Firm (4:1) With two final appeals Paul brings 3:1-21 to conclusion. At the same time he reaches further back into the letter to bring closure to the twin issues raised in 1:27--2:18: that they remain steadfast in the gospel and do so as one person in the one Spirit. The appeals belong together; they are expressed with great skill, full of friendship indicators.
The first appeal is directed toward the whole community; simultaneously it applies the preceding word of future hope, recalls the primary exhortation of 1:27 with which the "their affairs" sections of the letter began, and leads into the specific appeal of 4:2-3.
Friendship here takes the form of a remarkable elaboration of Paul's ordinary vocative, brothers [and sisters]: it becomes mybrothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown. This profusion of modifiers reminds them once again of his deep feelings for them and his deep concern for their present and future. The first set (whom I love and long for) recalls their primary relationship: his love for them accompanied by a deep longing for them. So much does this relational concern matter to him that he repeats--awkwardly from the perspective of grammar, but effectively from the perspective of relationship--the vocative "beloved" at the end of the sentence (NIV dear friends,evidence that English is not comfortable with such repetition). The second set is eschatological and is as prospective as the former is retrospective, looking toward the time when 3:20-21 will have come to fulfillment and the Philippians stand before Christ with Paul as my joy and crown (cf. 1 Thess 2:19), his "boast on the day of Christ" (2:16).
Nearly getting lost in this piling up of endearing vocatives is the appeal itself, stand firm (recalling 1:27), now modified with "thus" (NIV this is how) and in the Lord. During the Philippians' present distress they are to stand firm in the Lord, firmly planted in relationship with the same Lord whose coming they eagerly await and who will then subject all things to himself (3:20-21). And they are "thus" to stand firm, referring probably to the whole of 3:1-21, but especially to their imitation of Paul by their upright "walk" even as they bend every effort to attain the final prize.Final Appeal II--Be of the Same Mind (4:2-3) Paul proceeds directly to his final appeal. Given its verbatim repetition of 2:2 and its specific naming of persons, very likely this is where much of the letter has been heading right along. In a media-saturated culture like ours, where naming the guilty or the grand is a way of life, it is hard for us to sense how extraordinary this moment is. Apart from greetings and the occasional mention of his coworkers or envoys, Paul rarely ever mentions anyone by name. But here he does, and not because Euodia and Syntyche are the "bad ones" who need to be singled out--precisely the opposite. That he names them at all is evidence of friendship, since one of the marks of enmity in polemical letters is that enemies are left unnamed, thus denigrated by anonymity.
These longtime friends and coworkers, who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, are no longer seeing eye to eye with each other. We know very little more about them. Syntyche was named after the goddess of fortune, indicating pagan origins; both were given names (roughly "Success" and "Lucky") indicative of parental desire for their making good in the world. That Paul had women as coworkers in Philippi should surprise us none, since the church there had its origins among some Gentile women who, as "God-fearers," met by the river on the Jewish sabbath for prayer (Acts 16:13-15). The evidence from Acts indicates that at her conversion Lydia became patron both of the small apostolic band and of the nascent Christian community. By the very nature of things, that meant she was also a leader in the church, since heads of households automatically assumed the same role in the church that was centered in that household. Moreover, Macedonian women in general had a much larger role in public life than one finds elsewhere in the Empire; in Philippi in particular they were also well-known for their religious devotion.
Paul now entreats these two leaders to agree with each other(phronein, "have the same mindset") in the Lord. Given (a) the brevity of this letter, (b) that the letter would have been read aloud in the gathered community in a single sitting, and (c) that appeals to "have the same mindset" are part of the stuff of letters of friendship, one can be sure that the present appeal is to be understood as the specific application of the earlier ones in Philippians 2:2 and 3:15. Given its position at the end, it is also probably related to the foregoing warning and appeal (3:1-21).
Paul refuses to take sides, thus maintaining friendship with all. He appeals to both women--indeed the identical repetition of their names followed by the verb has rhetorical effect--to bury their differences by adopting the "same mindset." As in the immediately preceding appeal, it is qualified in the Lord, evidence that we are not dealing with a personal matter but with "doing the gospel" in Philippi. Having "the same mindset" in the Lord has been specifically spelled out in the preceding paradigmatic narratives, where Christ (2:6-11) has humbled himself by taking the "form of a slave" and thus becoming obedient unto death on a cross, and Paul (3:4-14) has expressed his longing to know Christ in a cruciform way.
In another intriguing moment, Paul turns momentarily to address another coworker, asking him to help Euodia and Syntyche respond to the appeal: Yes, and I ask you [singular] also, loyal yokefellow ( "genuine companion"), help these women. What intrigues is that in a letter addressed to the whole church he should single out one person in this way (which he does nowhere else in his community-directed letters). Since the Philippians knew him well, rather than naming him Paul "authorizes" his assistance with the epithet "genuine companion." The appellation yokefellow,along with the adjective "genuine" (which he uses elsewhere to refer to intimate coworkers), indicates the closest kind of partnership between him and Paul. Although well-known and currently living there, he is almost certainly not a native of Philippi (since the others named and unnamed certainly are). Most likely he is one of Paul's itinerant coworkers who is presently on the scene there. Luke would fit the description perfectly. Not only was he such a "true companion," but in Acts 16 the "we" narrative takes Luke to Philippi, where it leaves off until Paul's return to Philippi some four to six years later in 20:1-5. The author of Acts surely intends his readers to understand that he had spent these intervening years in Philippi. If so, then as one of Paul's most trusted companions, he had given oversight to that work for some years in the past.
Paul's erstwhile companion is thus asked to help Euodia and Syntyche, obviously to "be of the same mind" in the Lord. It is perhaps significant for our day to note the mediatorial role that Paul's yokefellow was expected to play, rather than leaving the two women to work out the problem on their own. Even so, Paul's focus is still on Euodia and Syntyche, not on his yokefellow, and especially, as throughout the letter, their (including the whole community) partnership with him in the gospel. His word order tells the story: inasmuch as in the gospel they have contended by my side. (On the athletic/military metaphor contended at my side, see commentary on 1:27; cf. 2:13-14.)
About Clement and the rest of my fellow workers we know nothing. The context demands that they are fellow Philippians. Why Paul should single out Clement is a singular mystery, made all the more so by the unusual way the phrase is attached to the former clause, along with Clement and the rest. This can only mean that these have also contended at my side along with Euodia and Syntyche in the cause of the gospel in Philippi. This is probably as close to an "aside" as one gets in Paul's letters. Having just mentioned Euodia and Syntyche in particular, he includes the others who were with him in that ministry from the beginning, for some good reason mentioning Clement in particular, perhaps not wanting to mention the rest by name lest he exclude any. In its own way, therefore, the clause probably functions as a gentle reminder to all who lead the believing community in Philippi to "have the same mindset in the Lord," even though that is not specifically said of or to them.
As so often in this letter, even here Paul concludes on an eschatological note. The ultimate reason for all of them (Euodia, Syntyche, Clement and the rest) to get it together in Philippi, as they await from heaven the coming of their Lord and Savior (3:20), is that their names are in the book of life. This unusual (for Paul) language is common stock from his Jewish heritage, where the faithful were understood to have their names recorded in the heavenly "book of the living," meaning the book that has recorded in it those who have received divine life (thus "the book of the living," Ps 68:29) and are thus destined for glory.
With these words Paul brings the specific hortatory sections of the letter to conclusion. In both verses 1 and 2-3 he has picked up the eschatological note from 3:20-21 that immediately precedes; and in both cases the note is affirmation and reassurance. If his concern in these exhortations is with the present--the believers' steadfastness and unity for the sake of the gospel in Philippi--his focus has regularly been on their certain future. He and they together have their names recorded in the book of life, and for that reason, as a colony of heaven in the Roman colony of Philippi, they need to live the life of the future now as they await its consummation.
When the dust clears and one gets beyond the specifics about names and "women in leadership," it is hard to imagine New Testament exhortations that are more contemporary--for every age and clime--than these. To stand firm in the Lord is not just a word for the individual believer, as such words are often taken, but for any local body of believers. The gospel is ever and always at stake in our world, and the call to God's people, whose names are written in the book of life, is to live that life now in whatever "Philippi" and in the face of whatever opposition it is found. But to do so effectively, its people, especially those in leadership, must learn to subordinate personal agendas to the larger agenda of the gospel, "to have the same mindset in the Lord." This means humbling, sacrificial giving of oneself for the sake of others; but then that is what the gospel is all about. So in effect these exhortations merely call us to genuine Christian life in the face of every form of pagan and religious opposition.
At the same time, here is one of those pieces of "mute" evidence for women in leadership in the New Testament, significant in this case for its offhanded, presuppositional way of speaking about them. To deny women's role in the church in Philippi is to fly full in the face of the text. Here is the evidence that the Holy Spirit is gender-blind, that he gifts as he wills. Our task is to recognize his gifting and to assist all such people, male and female, to "have the same mindset in the Lord," so that together they will be effective in doing the gospel.